When the moon is sunny
by MTKtheDreamer
Summary: Birth: confusion. Years later, solitude; then hope; finally, another tragedy shattered the world before her eyes and she gave up everything. A year later, she accepts an offer from a vampire, but she's still far away from finding a place where she belongs. Curious, reflective, unpredictable and full of regrets; she's not human, nor a vampire. Rated M for delicate themes.
1. Chapter 0

_Chapter 0_

Mary was looking at the little drops sliding along the surface of her glass of iced tea, lingering on the light reflections. Around her, the inn's customers were having various conversations; she wasn't listening, as they were ignoring her _foreign_ nature. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, most of them being sad and negative, that only something unusual should have happened in order to awaken her. And it occurred very soon.

Only ten minutes passed since she were served the drink, when she perceived something non-human in the atmosphere, _like her_ , but _different from her_. She raised her eyes towards the person who stopped in front of the table, appearing from nowhere; and nobody seemed to care.

\- May I? – the long and fair-haired man asked, alluding to the empty chair in front of her. He had a clear voice and at the same time deceitful, eyes whose colour couldn't be recognised by the girl due to the light reflections.

The girl intensely stared at him after nodding, while he took a seat smiling gently at her.

\- What is a young lady like you doing, among members of a different race? – he questioned, straightforwardly.

Mary lowered her face towards the glass, brushing the edge with very graceful gestures from her fingers, in order to hide or calm down her small irritability.

\- I could ask you the same, sir...?

\- Sakamaki. I'm known better as Karlheinz among my brothers, though. I see you're very frank with your words, Mary Flyer.

\- I suppose you're the vampire my father talked about some years ago. You don't really have a nice reputation, among my fellows – Karl mockingly smiled and he was about to comment when Mary went on – however, they're only rumours, I don't care about them. _I judge according to my senses and observations_. Anyway, I think you're here to propose me something. Am I wrong?

Karlheinz smiled again, _mellifluous_.

\- Exactly, Mary Flyer. Did your father talked about my sons, apart from calling me names?

Two evenings later Mary was in front of a huge gate to a quite wide mansion, with gothic and obvious aristocratic architectural details. And she was sensing the presence of six vampires inside.

She asked herself if her choice wasn't too much hasty; in the end, it was just her: Mary Flyer always improvised most of the time, or so it seemed at first sight.

Indeed, you could glimpse the links among her actions _only after a while_.


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

If there was something which Mary deeply hated, that was having people behind her back. She found it unbearable and she always had the feeling someone could stab her on the back any time.

That feeling wasn't so odd, if you consider in what situation she was: as soon as she was standing in front of the mansion's old wood front door, it wasn't difficult to her to perceive the presence of three individuals behind her back and, _for God's sake_ , they surely weren't the servants. They emanated the same vibes as that vampire, Karlheinz.

No doubt they were three of his six sons.

\- I don't want to sound like a killjoy, but I would have preferred a _normal_ "welcome"... in front of me – she said quietly, still staring at the doorbell she was going to ring, and she lowered her hands over the black cape she was wearing, smoothing the folds; it was probably a stress-relieving gesture.

She heard a clear and mischievous laugh, but a lot more pleasant than Karlheinz's, a rustle of clothes and a tongue clicking followed by an amused puff. One of them approached her, placing himself on her right side and bending his head next to her face: she saw another pair of viridian orbs out of the corner of her eye, watching her spitefully as spiteful was the smirk he was showing off his face. He deeply inhaled her scent; Mary asked herself why the hell he had to do that so close that she shivered.

\- Mh... – the youngster hummed, closing his eyes and concentrating – You smell nice, it's a particular scent... _Bitch-chan~_.

 _Bitchwhat?_ , she thought, glancing back at him with a raised eyebrow, opening her eyes wide when she pondered how much his expression looked... _per-perverted?_

Suddenly she felt something wet sliding down her left cheek and she turned to the young man who was squeezing a teddy bear and staring at her with gloomy eyes, licking his lips.

\- Hm, I agree. She tastes nice... _neh, Teddy?_

Mary asked herself again why all of the vampires she had met until then were only obsessed over high quality blood and the ( _very ambiguous_ , in her opinion) pleasure of feeding on it. Lastly, the third vampire grabbed her side with his arm and her chin with the free hand, arrogantly making her turn to face him.

\- Welcome? And how do you think food is welcomed, huh? – he said, with a smirk and an evil look focused on the girl's face. Mary held back a bored sigh, observing that narcissist's jade-coloured eyes – she had already labelled them: the pervert, the psycho, the megalomaniac -, asking herself again why she did accept their father's offer. By the way, did they know that she _wasn't_ human?

\- Bitch-chan~ it's not polite to neglect people – the first to approach her cooed in her ear: from the reddish-brown hair and the fedora he was wearing, she deduced that he was Laito.

\- I apologize, Laito-kun, I was lost in thought... but it's also impolite to call a stranger in that way, you know? – Mary calmly said, turning her ebony eyes to face him, who was a little taken aback from her composure.

\- As it is impolite to not introduce yourself – said the other one on her side, pointing his violet orbs on her, as if he wanted to pierce her with thousands of needles.

\- I'm Mary Flyer; nice to meet you, Kanato-kun – she immediately said, emotionless. Both him and the other one, probably Ayato, snorted. The last one addressed her again, holding her shoulder to turn her toward him.

\- I don't really care, Chichina...

He peered at her silhouette, lingering on her chest. Under his bangs, the same colour as Laito, his eyes were indecently drooling instead of his mouth.

\- Not so much Chichinashi, after all – he considered, smiling mischievously.

 _He also had to be a pervert, perfect,_ Mary commented in her head, outraged, restraining herself from blushing, before replying to his obscene provocation.

\- Don't you dare; I bite too, if necessary – she said, keeping herself as indifferent as possible. Kanato and Ayato glanced each other, before bursting out laughing.

Laito had fallen silent, deep on thought.


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

\- Oya, I didn't think you'd come so early, Mary-san – a voice distracted them and made them turn towards the front door: there was a black-haired young man with glasses framing his magenta eyes, observing the new girl with meticulous attention, as if she was a sample of some chemical to analyse ( _and this wasn't so unlikely_ ).

\- Mary Flyer – she introduced herself, greeting by bending her head – I apologize for being early, I miscalculated the time... Reiji-san, right?

\- I see you already know our names... I'm the second eldest son and they're the triplets. I apologize in case they bothered you – he said.

 _He's not really convinced himself... a bit full of himself, maybe, but at least polite_ , Mary thought, while being called upon to enter.

\- Your luggage has already been taken to your room, upstairs...

Reiji felt silent for an instance, before turning towards her and studying her once again, gesture which made her nervous.

\- You have a very human-like appearance; if I hadn't already been informed, I would never thought you were a _witch_. This explains your undoubtedly different scent, at least.

The triplets opened their eyes wide because of the discovery, getting an explanation about that never smelt before blood. Laito tilted his hat over his eyes, smiling excited by the thought of his next meal, Ayato rubbed his chin fantasizing about the same thing and Kanato seemed reacting not as interested as his brothers, only squeezing his cuddle toy and fondly gazing at it.

\- It's not that easy telling apart vampires like you as well... – Mary whispered, looking around herself and noticing a white-haired head in front of the stairs: it was Subaru, the youngest son, and he was giving her a surly stare, his fists clenched and his eyebrows sharply furrowed above the red eyes. Slightly intimidated, Mary looked away and directed her glance towards the person laying on a couch which was, _casually_ , nearby. Shuu, the firstborn, looked like he was sleeping oblivious to everything, a hand behind his blonde hair, wearing earphones and having the other arm stretched out on his abdomen. Mary thought that he was probably the most normal among them. _More or less_.

\- Terms.

\- E-Excuse me? – Reiji stuttered, taken aback. Laito got in thoughtful mode, Kanato blinked at her and Ayato, raising an eyebrow, placed his hand on his hips, confused; Subaru crossed his arms, curious, whereas Shuu seemed to have twitched imperceptibly and he had an half-opened eye, the hidden one from Mary's spot. The girl cleared her throat before explaining herself.

\- I would like to establish some terms; I already came to an agreement with your father, when he proposed me to become your blood _supply_. Three days each at a time; you decide the order, I don't really care. And, if possible, do not take on attitudes which I may considered rather disturbing or dangerous to myself...

Ayato interrupted her with a growl, flanked by Kanato.

\- _Oi_! Who do you think you are?! You're only food to us, you don't have the right to make up some rul-...

The crystal chandelier suddenly felt down, smashed in a thousand pieces which scattered everywhere but towards the vampires and the girl, who crossed her arms over her chest and she slowly turned to him in the meanwhile.

\- I'd like to remind you that I am a witch... if I feel threatened, I could also kill you – she coldly hissed, her eyes turned silver with white, dilated pupils; her skin seemed to have become fairer, tending to a glowing white.

They all felt silent, the only noises coming from Shuu's movements while sitting; the girl looked at him, meeting two bored blue eyes. Before stabilizing an eye contact, Mary averted her gaze and she composed herself, letting out a sigh of exasperation, as if she never wanted to get to that point and she tidied her long mahogany hair, bunched up in a curious hairstyle behind her head, through two long braids which started from the left side of her forehead, where some locks hung down. She seemed intensely thinking, before addressing Reiji again, her eyes switched back to their ebony colour and her unreadable look.

\- Reiji-san, do you usually use the kitchen for yourselves?

The young man with glasses stared at her confused, narrowing his eyes and thinking about how much the broken chandelier would have cost. After all, he was the only responsible person at managing all of the domestic chores and expenses!


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Mary looked at herself in the mirror of her own bedroom, the blue walls being painted with white floral motifs; sleeping for twenty-four hours straight helped her restoring a rosier skin tone: her journey to the Sakamaki brothers' mansion hadn't been so easy, though it had taken a short time.

She asked herself why nobody did assault her in her sleep, almost surprised, while she was taking off her black pyjamas consisting of a pair of shorts and a blouse with lacy hems. She quickly put on her opaque black stockings and her denim shorts; she was about to button up her sleeveless azure shirt, stopping when she heard a whistle coming from her room's balcony. She turned with a jolting motion, casting a disapproving glance at Laito, who burst out laughing at her face, leaning against the violet curtains that covered the glass doors. Where did that vampire who suddenly felt silent two evenings ago go?

\- _Laito-kun_ , good evening. I hope you appeared just _now_ – she calmly said, hurrying to finish buttoning up her clothes; she had arrived at the breastbone, the tank top still visible that was covering what she wanted to _hide_ , when the vampire was suddenly behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders with, _er_ , too much boldness.

\- _Bitch-chan~_ I missed you so much yesterday that I came to visit you... – and he blew on her ear, making her shiver – after all, _I_ 'll be the first one to _taste_ you – he purred, touching her neck with his chin while grasping her waist with his arms, sometimes moving his eyes below her face... he was relaxed, tough he had his lips closed tight as if he was thinking deeply. Laito didn't show openly his puzzlement to this unexpected behaviour of his: the witch instilled a strange feeling in him.

\- Laito-kun, please let go, I'm not used to this closene... _yesterday you what_? – she asked, this time with a confused face, at last expressing something more interesting to Laito, who curiously observed her lips curling. _Cute~_ , he thought smirking.

\- As I said, I missed you so much that I came to visit you. I also wanted to _bite you_ – his voice became raspier, causing her a feeling of uneasiness – but you were so worn-out that I decided to postpone, _fufu~_.

Mary raised an eyebrow, well-pondering the words to use to answer him. Words she didn't find.

\- Oh~? What is it, Bitch-chan~, has the cat got your tongue? Come on~ I adore the way you talk – he blew on her skin, waiting. He only got an impassive glance from her and at that point he abruptly distanced himself from her, hiding his smiling face under his hat. When he lifted it up, his mischievous smirk had disappeared, replaced by a cold and dark grimace.

\- I'm not amused – he said, his voice sharp as an iced blade – don't resist, otherwise you'll get very hurt... – he hissed, forcibly grabbing her wrists and pinning her against the wall. Mary, not expecting a vampire's physical strength to be so powerful, whined from the pain: he hadn't been so delicate and her back was one of her weak points.

Laito coldly stared at her in the eyes, before digging in her neck... but he stopped, taken aback from a unceasing noise of shattered glasses. He slowly turned towards the balcony: the doors' glass laid on the ground in a thousand, tiny pieces. He went back to Mary's face, calm. And yet he was sensing under his touch her trembling arms.

\- Laito-kun, _please_. I'm just asking you a bit of self-control, nothing more. You can do it, I'm sure of it... – she murmured with a whisper: her eyes seemed to dig deep in his soul.

He was dumbfounded for an instance, before bursting out laughing more and more vigorously; he placed his forehead against her shoulder.

\- What do you know, _you_... – he whispered, and then he suddenly raised his face, looking at her with his peculiar smirk again.

\- Fufu~ Bitch-chan, do you know how to make _macarons_?

Mary furrowed her eyebrows, surprised. Who would have expected such a simple, such an _innocent_ question, after all that had happened?

\- Eh?... Ye-Yes... _Agh, Laito-kun!_ – she cried out, while the vampire squeezed her hand and dragged her towards the door to leave the room, cheerfully laughing.

His instinct was telling him that, soon, something would have changed them, messing up their _usual_ , _boring_ daily events.


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Mary brought herself to the kitchen, being present at a quite odd scene. Reiji and Laito were cheerfully arguing, the first one annoyed and the second with an innocent look.

\- Laito, _NO_. You won't use this kitchen. Last time you and the other two tried to cook, a disaster followed... and guess _who had to_ provide for fixing up and for warranty costs?

Mary approached them very slowly, while Laito was playing his trump card after snorting about how boring the other one was.

\- And what about Mic~chan? – he happily uttered, moving behind her and pushing her ahead as if he was encouraging a shy little girl.

 _Micchan?,_ the very girl thought, meanwhile the vampire was fixing his glasses along his nose's bridge and looking closely at her, deep in thought.

\- ... Alright, after all one of the terms was the authorisation to use the kitchen... I remind you, though, that you have to clean and tidy up everything, when you'll be finished – he coldly recommended, leaving the two alone.

 _Where did his polite and helpful tone of yesterday go? He surely wasn't loving, but..._ , Mary thought again, slightly confused at his attitude; she then felt being tugged and squeezed in a hug. Laito laid affectionately against her back (she asked herself if this fluffy side of his wasn't a set up), begging her to bake him some _macarons_. The witch sighed:

\- Right away, Laito-kun, as soon as you let me go – the vampire broke away immediately from her and guided her around the room, showing her where the several ingredients and cooking tools were.

Mary dedicated herself to the dough's preparation with focus and zeal, observed by the open-mouthed young man who had eyes only for her figure, from the locks she moved behind her ear while beating the whites, to the fingers which were tapping on the table waiting for the sweets to fully cook, to the eye careful at the filling quantity to spread out; after two hours he was served a plate of colourful _macarons_.

With bright eyes and the mouth still wide in contemplation, he lifted up one of those lively sweets, examining it with enthusiasm. He closed his eyes, tasted it and moaned from happiness, savouring the sugary flavour that overwhelmed his mouth; he ate ten more of them in the same way, causing the girl to smile, amused. He stopped, opened his eyes (he had just lost the opportunity to see her smiling for the first time!) and stared at her with a wide grin, before rushing into her and crushing her, and both landed on the ground. He raised his head to thank her and to suggest _something lewd at last_ , however seeing her reddening like a poppy made him giggle and whisper in her ear with a sweet voice.

\- _Micchan~, arigatou_ … but you see, after so many sweets, _you become thirsty_.

He intensely gazed at her; Mary silently gulped, exchanging the look with a more as possible indifferent one. Laito sensed her struggle and with a nearly soften smirk his lips got close to her ear, making her shiver with his murmuring:

\- Don't worry, the pain will soon become pleasurable through my love, _fufu~_.

E he dug on her neck, piercing her skin with his fangs.

Mary felt her eyes watering, but she harshly scolded them; she had to be strong. With all she had suffered, this was nothing. In order to distract herself, she reflected on Laito's last words.

 _Love? How?_ _You don't even know it, in truth, Laito-kun_ , she sadly thought, while starting and closing an eye because of another bite on a different place of her neck, after a quick kiss on her chin.

Really, she wanted to cry.

But she couldn't allowed herself to do it.

Ten minutes later she fainted, between laying on the cold floor and being deprived of some blood through different bites on her skin. Laito got up satisfied, cleaning a drop of blood that was dripping from his smirking lips. He stroked her face, before taking her in his arms and, ignoring the remarks of Ayato and Kanato who had just got in the kitchen, he took her in her bedroom. He recollected, during the way, her blood: fluid, warm, sweet and fragrant; an aroma he had never tasted before, precious and captivating.

After placing her down on her bed, he kissed her on the forehead.

\- Sweet dreams, Mic-chan~...

 _And he restrained himself from mauling her in other parts of her body._


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

The next evening, she experienced déjà vu while looking at herself in the mirror; she examined the copious scars on her neck, indicating she could have been mistaken for a _domino tile_. She scratched her head and sighed: at least they wouldn't have taken too long to disappear. Deep in thought, she touched her chin, blushing at the memory of what had happened. She sat on the chair with crimson-lined armrests, opening her notebook where she used to write down her remarks, her thoughts, her dreams. She looked for her fountain-pen in the old-wooden bureau, finely decorated with silver carvings, before abruptly closing her notebook and putting it in a drawer which she locked.

She blinked, stroking her forehead, and sighed a second time.

\- Laito-kun, at least sit on the little couch, instead of laying on my bed – she said, rubbing the top of her nose.

She heard him laughing and leaping on the floor, he then approached her desk and leaned against its edge, beside Mary. He took her hand, bringing it close to his face and caressing it. The girl immediately moved her hand away, embarrassed, causing the vampire to cheerfully giggle and then he looked confused, his eyes focused on her neck.

\- Micchan, have my bites already healed? – he asked, unbelieving.

\- Well, y-yeah. My blood too, has regenerated – she added, making Laito open his eyes wide and twitch towards her, tugging at her wrists and placing near their faces: their noses were touching.

\- Heeee? _Nande, nande?_ How is that possibile? It takes days to replace the blood loss... OH! – he suddenly raised his voice, hitting his fist on the other palm as if he discovered the mystery behind this, surprising Mary who jolted because of his sudden gesture.

\- _Of course!_ Your witch powers! – Laito uttered, content, and he stared at her to confirm it with his usual smirk.

 _Not exactly_ , she thought frustrated, though she nodded with a little bit of hesitation, trying to conceal it with her shyness. She didn't feel like explaining everything; Laito clapped his hands enthusiastic about his discovery and curious to hear something else.

\- Laito-kun... where is the bathroom? I need to have a shower, you know, it has been days since... – she murmured, bothered, cutting him off. She missed the feeling of water on her skin; last time she had enjoyed its fresh and soothing touch was some hours before arriving at the Sakamaki's mansion, in a hotel where she had slept and dined with the money she gained with part-time jobs in fast-foods or in some bookstores.

Laito fell silent for a second, before mischievously smirking and leaning his arms around her shoulders, purring.

\- _Do you seek company, fufu~?_

Mary blankly stared at him, her eyes narrowed, and she slowly raised her hands up, aiming for the vampire's cheeks: she pinched them, lightly stretching them.

\- Nope.

\- Heee~ ow, _ita ita_!

* * *

After dozens of minutes between pulling cheeks and getting naughty bites on her neck (not so much naughty since he _gladly_ drank a bit of blood), at last Mary locked the bathroom's door behind her, leaning against it with her back and releasing a sigh of relief. She stroked her neck, heading towards the mirror above the sink and looking, for the umpteenth time in the last days, at her skin: her blood had already coagulated and soon it would have been replaced by some fair marks and then by new skin. In the meanwhile, she placed her clean clothes and undergarments (it's not that Laito would have tried to steal some of them, _right_?) on a narrow mahogany dresser.

\- Annoying… - she murmured, giving her own reflection a hint of a bitter smile. She heard a splash coming from the peach-coloured marble bathtub, which she remembered _NOT_ having touched yet. She approached it interrogative and, eyes wide open, she let her jaw drop at the sight of Shuu plunged into the water with ease, _dressed_ , and with his earphones still on, closed eyes and clearly in a comatose state.

\- Er, _Shuu-san_? – the girl said, raising an eyebrow. She curled her lips at the silence which followed after calling him again, while bending her head towards him. She kept on pronouncing his name until she became a bothersome chatterbox, so much that the vampire slightly twitched. At last, with a bothered and drowsy voice, he muttered:

\- Be _quiet_...

Mary felt a nerve throbbing on her forehead.

In a split second, the bathtub tipped over, flooding the ochre-tiled floor and knocking the guy's body over: he idly cursed and lifted the bathtub up with a wearying slowness, in the meanwhile rubbing his neck with the free hand and groaning.

When he looked towards Mary with a bored face, she had crossed her arms and was calmly observing him, her lips barely curved in a subtle, teasing smile.

He snorted, standing up, and headed for the door; he unexpectedly stopped beside her, lowering his head next to hers and inhaling, with the tip of his nose brushing against her earlobe, making her deeply blush and stiffen.

He smirked.

 _\- See you in two weeks._

He left; and Mary had her heart go crazy.

And when she returned to her bedroom, she told herself that it was better to avoid warm baths after being bitten by a vampire.


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

\- _Night High School_?

 _But what for?,_ she asked herself bewildered, as she leaned back against the maple wood wardrobe (how many forests were cleared to build the furniture in that mansion?).

Reiji nodded as he held out her uniform; Mary wondered if by chance Laito had not taken her measurements while she was sleeping, during the day, and stared at the garments with clear rejection, to which the dark-haired vampire sighed.

\- We also _never_ liked the idea, but our father would prefer you not to stay home alone.

\- ... _Skirt_.

\- I beg your pardon? - Reiji narrowed his eyes, arching an eyebrow.

\- The last time I wore a skirt I was four...

Silence swept them away. Reiji put the uniform on the bed's eggplant-coloured sheets and left with a wry smirk.

\- I'm sorry for you.

 _Thank you, you imbecile_ , Mary thought and approached the bed, staring at that so rejected skirt and thinking about a solution.

Laito suddenly appeared behind her, blowing on her neck without, as usual, taking her by surprise. He noticed the presence of the uniform and excitedly urged her to try it on. _In front of him_ ; he was already lifting the hems of her ivory-coloured cotton sweater ...

\- I would rather have you bite me, Laito-kun – she sighed in exasperation; being the last day, the vampire didn't need to be told twice and quickly hurled at the back of her neck, sinking his fangs heatedly. Mary had to grit her teeth and support herself with a hand against the bench that was in front of the bed. Soon she no longer needed to, as the vampire held her close to him with his arms wrapped around her waist.

Unfortunately this didn't allow the pain, more and more burning, to fade away: and she closed her eyes to force herself not to cry.

She flinched as she felt on her skin more _affectionate_ touches by Laito and tried to break free from his grip, in vain, because the vampire fell on top of her on the soft mattress and began to undress her. Mary turned around, her face pepper-coloured, to warn him to stop; instead, she covered her mouth with her hands, as she saw him trying to place his lips on her. He frowned at her, cocking his eyebrows in mock sadness.

\- _Micchan~ It's just a kiss~!_

\- I can't, I want to stay true to my values...

Laito didn't answer yet; Mary had looked away, embarrassed.

\- _Childish_. As if love was made of values - he mumbled, feeling suddenly in a bad mood. Nevertheless Mary got upset, hearing his words, and did not react positively: she got up with her hands grabbing the collar of his shirt, staring at him with a firm and stern look.

\- I do not know what happened or who has taught you the definition of love, but I do know that you're wrong! - Laito stared at her open-mouthed, before bursting into laughter and laying on her, his arms behind her back and his head on her shoulder. Surprised by his reaction, Mary lost her balance and both sank among the blankets. The vampire, whose hair clashed with the colour of the tissue beneath them, was giggling feebly.

\- Ahahahah, you... _how_... _pff, ahahaha..._

Mary was silent, thinking that perhaps his father's words were true, about the Sakamaki family; and she wanted to know more.

* * *

After two hours Reiji knocked on the door of the room where the witch was hosted, noting with disgust that the hall furniture had not been cleaned yet, judging by the two obvious centimetres of dust that covered them; as he entered, he mentally took note of that detail, before getting dumbfounded at seeing Laito and Mary on the ground, on the Persian midnight-blue carpet in front of the balcony, back to back, pleasantly concentrated on the puzzle magazines.

\- What…?

\- Oh, _Reiji_ ~ want to join us? - the younger brother asked cheerfully, waving the crosswords' page.

The vampire adjusted his glasses puzzled, and refused the offer, saying that he had come to ask (order?) the witch to help him in the kitchen for dinner. Mary looked up from her Sudoku and nodded, assuring that she would be showed herself in five minutes, before returning to the grids of numbers.

Reiji stared at them one more time, dazed and annoyed, and then turned around to disappear out of nowhere.

The girl murmured:

\- Laito-kun, are they so rigid with the school dress code?

\- No, not so much, why? - the curious vampire asked.

\- Because _I don't wanna wear_ that skirt.

\- Eh, that's transgressive of you~ _Fufu_ , come on, I'm sure you'd be charming! And I'm starting to get tired of your neck, _I'd also like to taste your thi- ITTE itte*~!_

The girl giggled, while pinching his cheeks with a half-hearted smile, reminding him that his turn was over.

* * *

*"It hurts, it hurts~!"

 _ **Hello, everyone~ This is MTK**_ **(ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧**

 _ **I really hope you're enjoying my story :D Sorry if I updated every so-long-period-of-time, but it's because I'm busy with other things, in particular finishing another story... ... °v°**_

 _ **Anyway, thank you very much for following, reviewing or only reading! ARIGATOU GOZAI MASU! *bows***_

 _ **I wanna create an Ask Blog on tumblr for my OC later on, do you think it's a good idea?**_

See you soon~


	8. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

\- Exactly five minutes - Reiji exclaimed, putting the clock in the pocket of his black waistcoat and throwing an approving look at Mary who coolly approached him.

\- Laito told me about your _"amazing" macaron_ , so I would like you to collaborate with the same dedication now, all right? - he seemed more to command than to recommend. She nodded silently and followed his instructions while preparing the _Vichyssoise_ cream, the duck _a l'Orange_ and some biscuits for Kanato; Reiji confessed grinding his teeth that his brother wasn't in a good mood and sweets could ward off his hysterical weeping.

The vampire decided to entirely entrust the preparation and cooking of cookies to Mary, assuming that sweets probably were her forte. Otherwise, at least he could have put the blame on her and avoid Kanato's psychopathic outbursts. Thinking this, he grinned maliciously; through the negative vibes he was emanating, the witch sensed his true intentions, without caring too much about it.

Reiji marvelled with pleasure about the task that the girl was carrying out quietly and diligently, making the atmosphere in the kitchen more relaxig. _Too bad_ that she would have to share the results of their work with those pests of his brothers, not to say the _animals_...

* * *

The second son had slyly sit at the head of the table in order to have no problems, leaving Mary to the (dis)pleasure of being next to the other brothers, while smoothing some folds of the tablecloth and checking that the cutlery were put in the right place around the dishes. Laito immediately took place at his right, inviting Mary to occupy the chair beside him. She accepted willingly, shortly enjoying the soft feel through her back against the backrest's red padding, a little fearful: it was the first time after her arrival she wa meeting all the brothers together and so far she had only known better Laito and Reiji, barely Shuu too. Thinking of the latter made her heart hammering, but she decided to ignore it and rather observe where the other brothers would have sit. _She had to psychologically brace herself..._

Kanato and Ayato came in, settling respectively in front to their other triplet and her; the second gave her a fierce, amused grin, and the girl remembered the next day would have been his turn: she shuddered. Subaru arrived, with his hands in pocket, giving her a nasty look, and reluctantly moved the chair next to Ayato to sit. Reiji sighed, resigned to his brusque and ill-suited to the etiquette attitude.

Mary had blushed slightly: next to her would have been...

A thump to her right confirmed her thoughts and out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Shuu's blonde hair, leaning over the plate.

Lunch seemed to last an eternity: no one spoke; Kanato speared his cookies with a fork as if they were persons to torture, Subaru consumed the meal with vexed eyes, Shuu could have fallen asleep ( _was he already sleeping?..._ ) at any moment without eating anything, Laito gave her some lively elbow (both of them earning Subaru's glare), Ayato loudly swallowed the food, and... you could have felt Reiji's nerves breaking even thousands of kilometres away.

Mary chewed a bite of meat slowly, trying to meet only Laito's eyes or focus on the green wall paper and its meticulous golden arabesques that decorated it. She was sitting in a cold sweat; she jolted when Subaru slammed his hands on the table, growling aggressively and causing the glass goblets to shake, and the witch promptly prevented hers not to fall. The albino scornfully scowled at her, and then left, leaving the dining room.

\- Do not get upset, it often happens – Laito whispered in her ear, giggling; he had caught her slight agitation and Mary relaxed, still bitter.

She froze at Kanato's words, interrupting again that _already miserable_ meal.

\- Reiji. _These are not your cookies_ \- he declared; the person concerned was about to answer and looking forward to the consequences.

\- In fact, the newcomer baked them.

 _Asshole_ , Mary thought; she never thought that his attitude would have given her so much annoyance. Maybe she should have practiced a bit more to control her emotions...

The young man turned his violet eyes to the girl, impassive and rigid as a statue if it had not been for her legs trembling under the table, and certainly she was not cold since she was wearing heavy cotton jeans. He stared at her for two good minutes, imitated by Ayato who kept on swallowin meat, including what remained in Subaru's plate. His dark circles gave him a bleak look, despite him showing no emotion; then he turned to Reiji with a mocking grin.

\- So you let our _food_ surpass your cooking skills? Ehehe ...

The vampire with glasses felt a nerve pressing on his forehead, shocked by the unexpected turn that the situation had taken. Mary tightened her lips to keep from laughing.

\- _You, do not brag_ – Kanato hissed afterwards, and she instantly muffled an amused snort.


	9. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

The next evening Reiji wanted to tear his hair out because of what Mary had done to the uniform. She had ripped her skirt, sewing it so that it seemed an add-on to the jacket (Reiji himself admitted that it was still elegant). The girl glared at him, stating that she thought her skirt wasn't appropriate to the school environment. They ignored Laito's comment about the _exquisite scenes on the stairs_ , quietly lying on his stomach on the bed with his legs swinging; he also had loved the girl's work, although he had been a little disappointed at first.

Reiji surrendered, nervously rubbing his temples:

\- _Ah, all right_! But I won't account if they're going to complain about it! I expect to see you inside the limousine.

\- It's my responsibility, Reiji-san - she confirmed quietly. The vampire disappeared; after a long look on her part, finally Laito disappeared with a mischievous smile on his face.

Mary sighed in relief and quickly changed: under her shirt and jacket she wore a light gray turtleneck, since it was still a bit chilly despite it being the month of April; she ignored the ribbons, and rather pulled on a pair of black tights and then she found a matching pair of shorts with the uniform (a dark blue, almost black). She buckled her boots and grabbed the blue schoolbag, after checking if her hair and eyes were the right colour ( _I may have used my powers tonight to protect myself from Laito without noticing, thanks to my "spider-sense",_ she told herself a little nervous).

In front of the limousine, she was strongly tempted to ask if they had by chance a bicycle: rather than staying all together in a confined space, again... She would have even preferred to fall into the icy water of the large fountain that was in the middle of the Sakamaki mansion, whose seventy percent consisted of flower beds, trees, shrubs, other fountains and small garden tiles. Ah, the aristocratic taste...

Unfortunately she thought that neither was a good idea and gave it up bitterly; ignoring Subaru and Kanato who were about to enter, she was dragged inside the vehicle by Laito, who grabbed her wrist, and they sat close. Ayato looked at them bothered, taking a seat next to her: it was his turn, and he didn't like that his twin kept on sticking to her. Since when he started to grow fond of someone, rather, of _food_ (it didn't matter if that girl was a witch)? Thinking of the his pervert brother's beloved _macaron_ , he thought that it wasn't so strange.

The trip was asphyxiating and Mary couldn't wait to get out in the open air, also because she already suffered a bit of claustrophobia.

* * *

\- You'll be in the same class as me; you know, I didn't think you were my age... is there a problem? - The Reiji asked, as they were moving towards their classroom. The girl had a doubtful look.

\- Isn't Shuu-san a year older than us? And so why...

\- _That deadbeat_ had to repeat the year because of its low participation and lack of zeal... _even Laito didn't reach that point_... Anyway, I'd rather not talk about that loafer. It disgusts me.

Mary eyed him and forced a slight smile, wondering why involve the (not so) poor vampire with the inseparable hat.

\- There's bad blood between you... even if it's the same.

\- Do not remind me; I break out in hives just thinking about it - the vampire grinned nervously, before tending the arm and invite her to join their class.

At the evening high school, they didn't waste time with presentations and this was considered a good thing by the witch, who wanted to avoid as much as possible other people's gaze on her own figure.

The lessons were normal, students were diligent enough, except for the usual group which didn't bother too much anyway: since it was evening, almost everyone was too tired to do anything but follow the lesson or daydreaming. The girl observed Reiji, attentive and focused on his notes which he updated regularly. Meanwhile, he wondered if Mary was behaving properly and didn't dare to turn around to check on her, with the risk of being noticed by the teacher. He would still got to scold her later, because of what happened shortly thereafter.

The professor was walking among the desks with the book in hand, explaining the philosophical passages cited on paper, and when he returned to the chair he accidentally bumped into a vase of flowers that fell to the floor. Reiji was one of the first ones to notice, as he noted with wide-open eyes the floating object, flowers and water for three seconds, before rolling on the ground and pouring the liquid.

The teacher did not notice; some students whispered confused; Reiji clenched his fists, and with one eye glared at Mary, who broke out in cold sweat with her eyes on the pen and a nervous smile on her lips, pretending to be innocent, unaware that a pair of hungry green eyes were waiting impatiently out of that classroom.

 _May I relax and avoid doing stupid things for once...?_


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

During the break, Mary fled _quickly_ from the classroom, heading towards the girls' bathroom: whether to avoid meeting new classmates, and she had her own reasons, or not to deal with Reiji's whip which Laito had talked so much about.

The bathroom was empty except for a closed door, probably busy, and delight to his senses, clean and cool (during the journey undertaken in the past year she had seen hideous and nauseating ones). As she entered, however, she sensed the presence of two people, and one of these was NOT human. She felt a sudden chuckle: she paled, recognizing Laito's voice.

\- _Come on_ ~ _Laito_ -kun! Stop it, ahaha, someone could come in the bathroom at any moment! - A female voice chirped very, _um_ , excited and not at all worried about what she had just assumed.

\- Risa-chan, you're the one provoking me, _fufu_ ~ And... you said _come_ , _huh_ ~? - Laito retorted, quite cheerful, elated.

Mary ran away immediately as soon as she began to hear some very awkward noises, hiding her ears in her hands, red with embarrassment.

 _Laito-kun no baka!_ , she screamed in her head and went out in the yard, going to the back of the school and slumping against a wall. She gasped, trying to catch her breath; she recovered with difficulty and she remembered only then that problem she had with her lungs... and her mind plunged in dark thoughts that no longer she wanted to face again. She didn't realize that in the meanwhile Ayato had joined her, until he bent down in front of her and grabbed her chin with his fingers, arrogantly.

\- Ah, Ayato-kun - Mary exclaimed, impassive. The vampire gave her the evil eye.

\- What face are you making? The _great me_ suddenly appears here and you don't even look a little surprised? Well, that doesn't matter. Let's make _takoyaki_ , I'm hungry...

 _Glutton, you mean_ , Mary thought, this time herself giving him the evil eye. Vampires didn't need any "human" food, they needed blood!

* * *

Ayato ate greedily his beloved _takoyaki_ , as he rocked in the chair. He seemed quite absorbed, lost in his thoughts, and Mary did notice a melancholy shadow on his face, after having spotted him from the sink where she was washing the used kitchen tools.

She turned to close the water and store the latest crockery, before starting to clean the table on which they had worked; task which she had to mentally say goodbye to as she felt her hips being grabbed and pulled the other side, facing straight away the vampire's mischievous and hungry look. She gulped and didn't have time to ask for some seconds _to gear up_ that Ayato had bitten into the flesh between her neck and shoulder, ripping the turtleneck. If those canines that had torn her flesh hadn't been so painful, Mary would have easily avenged the offense to her garment. Instead, the burning was so intense that she could hardly stand up.

Ayato broke away a second to marvel at how unique her blood was and went on consuming his meal by violently digging on her shoulder, voraciously sucking that scarlet nectar. Mary groaned, clutching her hands to his shirt: the bites seemed to become more and more insufferable from the neck downward, along her body; if he had bitten the thighs, as Laito would have wanted so much to (and never would have been allowed to), he probably would have knocked her out. A tear of pain fell down her cheek, betraying her, and felt like fainting.

The vampire was ready to strengthen his grip on her waist, supporting her as her head fell back. He looked at her bare cleavage with a grin and, using an arm to hold her back, he dangerously approached with his free hand the area that interested him so much; her skin looked so soft, like a piece of sponge cake: _it was making him drool_.

Two voices blocked him in time (and he was lucky, unbeknownst to him; otherwise, once awakened, Mary would have found it out and made him _pay for it_...).

\- _Shinjirarenai_ ... _good grief_ , I can't believe you're doing such a thing here at school. _You're not even Laito_.

\- _Fufu_ ~ Thank you, Reiji, I will take it as a compliment... _ma ma_ , Ayato-kun~ it's time to go! _Give me back Micchan_ \- from the playful tone he passed to a cold one as he got close to his brother and picked the witch up in his arms. He smiled fondly while looking at her and rested her head against his shoulder, then he walked away humming.

Ayato and Reiji, after watching him wide-eyed, exchanged a puzzled look.

\- What's gotten to him? - the vampire with glasses asked – he almost looks like you when _she_ was here...

The other one interrupted him, giving him a dirty look and shrugged, irritated by Reiji's words, the girl, Laito, _by everything_.

 _And this was just the first day with him_ , Mary thought with a sigh, when she woke up in her bed. Who knows how it would have been with the others ...

She crawled onto the mattress, noting that she was wearing her pyjamas and she insulted mentally Laito's cockiness (it was definitely his fault; she recognized his tie left in a corner of the bed), hoping that he hadn't stared at her for hours. She opened the grey nightstand drawer that was next to her and searched for a small pocket-sized album. She found it, opened it and flipped through it, stopping at a picture of her when she was younger, along with two boys, one very _similar to her_ and the other with an _idiot-like face_.

She smiled, nostalgic, and put the album back in the drawer, before returning to sleep.

 _\- Oyasumi, Aneki._

A young man with pink hair kissed the photograph where he was portrayed alongside a _similar girl to him_ andn a _idiot-like-faced_ boy, before sinking his head into the pillow, under which he hid that precious memento.

* * *

Little notes about the Japanese expressions I used:

"ma ma", well, frankly I don't know how to translate this one, but you can figure it out as a "come on", "well, well" or something? "shinjirarenai" means unbelievable (... well, to be more precise, I think it literally means "I can't/don't believe (it)"...?) "oyasumi" means "goodnight" "aneki" is the Japanese word for "big sister"

I hope I didn't forget anything...  
I hope you're enjoying this story! :D  
See you soon~


	11. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

Mary was reading a book, quietly sitting on an aqua-green bench in the billiard room where Ayato and Laito were playing. From time to time she stroked two evident scarlet holes on her shoulder's pale skin, result of the second day of the vampire who was boasting with his older brother about his next, certain victory. She was wearing a red sleeveless blouse; she should have had a black sweater on too, but it had been ripped by the predator during his lunch. And Mary had promised herself that sooner or later he _would have payed_ for ruining her clothes.

She sighed, slightly bitter, and went on reading; Laito had warmly suggested her to join them, but after Ayato's bite, who every now and then took a sneering look at her, she even had almost lacked the motivation to sit. She wasn't also fond of that kind of hobbies; she would rather have gone out in the garden _chasing crickets_...

She ignored Kanato's eyes, insistently fixed on her figure, sitting apart on a cupboard near the room's door, where the light bulb that illuminated the pool table and surroundings didn't reach; perceiving his disturbing presence _curled_ her eyebrows' ends, so she focused on the words of the story she was reading. She began to relax completely, transported by the exciting atmosphere about a pilot's survival in the desert after a plane crash, until she heard a thud next to her and suddenly felt something brushing her left thigh: she saw Shuu. He was taking up with his whole body the rest of the sofa, whose color was the same as his shirt, and had a raised knee and an arm abandoned on his abdomen and the other one hanging.

She blushed.

\- S-Shuu-san?

\- Shut up.

- _... It doesn't take me much effort to overturn the couch too._

Shuu opened an eye, staring at her bored; fortunately, her face had returned to a less suspicious colour, otherwise _God knows what he would have told her about it_.

\- Tch... such a hassle – he mumbled, the girl snorted amused and peacefully returned to her book. The vampire didn't immediately close his eye, as he curiously watched her for a few minutes.

\- Bach.

The girl winced and turned to face him again, with a quizzical expression.

\- Bach... goes well with reading...

\- O-Oh. You think so…? – she said, unconvinced, and patted her neck's back, moving a few shorter strands of hair; the blond noticed three large moles so close that they resembled a clover, just a few centimetres below her earlobe – To be honest, I prefer silence...

\- Tch... better than other so called "musical" genres... - Shuu muttered slowly, and then he tightened his eyelids and fell silent; Mary pursed her lips and shrugged, slightly disappointed, and returned to her book.

Meanwhile, Laito was carefully studying them, with a mischievous smile on his lips and he remembered the other times when the witch and the firstborn brother had been close: he _did notice_ her strawberry-coloured cheeks (he also wanted to devour them), and though he was a bit jealous, it _excited_ him, and he was eager to assist the future development there would have been with the Shuu's turn.

* * *

Ayato picked himself up off the floor in pain, moving away the closet that had devastated him. Mary, who was sitting on the gray floor only two meters away from him, had not particularly liked his attitude towards her while sucking her blood for the third and last time of his turn: he had moved his fangs on her sternum's skin and _he had dared to fondle her breast_. He should have deserved a thousand slaps in the face, but the witch knew that they would have just tickled him; so she resorted to her powers, completely forgetting the incredible pain that invaded her chest. Not that it was already in a good state itself; _her lungs..._

She shook her head, driving away the memories that were to resurface cruelly, and returned to exchange piercing glances with Ayato; she hated his personality: he was arrogant, pretentious and treated her like an object in order to satisfy only hir thirst for blood. If he had been a little more delicate, perhaps as Laito ( _thinking about it, what about not_ ), maybe she would have tolerated him, but it was too much for her.

\- You, bitch... - he insulted her.

\- I'm still a creature like you, I have the right to deserve a little respect - Mary said coldly. The tears in her eyes, however, betrayed her determination and Ayato, seeing this, laughed maliciously.

He winked at her, gave her one last aggressive and at the same time mocking look, and finally left the infirmary, giving himself airs of superiority.

 _"Ore-sama", bullshit!_ , she thought, fixing her crumpled shirt and closing some buttons; she barked noticing that her periwinkle undershirt was ripped and her sense of revenge levelled up critically, _though she wasn't in a video game_. She probably would have returned to class a little later, _with great delight from her friend Reiji-san_ , as she began to fix the mess she had caused to defend her dignity. Although she had already slapped it enough when she accepted Karlheinz's suggestion, she observed bitterly, pulling out a long sigh.

Perhaps she should have listened to her Sensei's words... " _Cho-hime, it all depends on you: if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't spoil my life because of what you did. You did what you thought was best for everyone. You don't have to hold regrets; I know it's difficult, I myself have made choices giving up important things. But now...!_ "; that day, a year before, she had ignored the rest of his speech, while moving away from the town where she lived. _Regret is an ugly beast_ , she thought.

She didn't think she wouldn't get out from of that room at all: from the bed hidden by the curtains, she heard a familiar voice complaining in the _sleepy language_ , while she was actually producing too much noise as she fixed up the cabinet with which she freed herself from the Ayato's grip.

\- Silence...

 _Shuu_.


	12. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

\- I can't sleep, be quiet ...

Mary carefully pulled back the curtains: Shuu was laying comfortably stretched out on crumpled blankets, his wavy blond hair scattered on the pillow. His figure at that time conveyed an unusual vision of _soft harmony_ ; which unfortunately Mary didn't fully sense because she had to deal with her heart pounding. Ah, her _damned_ soft spot for young men with blue eyes... and that vampire's _blue_ eyes were even more _haunting_ , they reminded her of _both the sky, and the sea_.

She recalled her previous, first and only crush: her heart had been captured almost literally by a young man in the area where she initially lived, as well as her senpai. He was tall, not too robust; he had messy, long, dark plum coloured hair, with some strands dyed in various shades of purple, suggested by Mary herself; he dressed nicely though flashy, especially with that periwinkle feathered scarf which used to tickle her nose when they would return from school arm in arm, in the afternoon, surrounded by snow and by their looks, his warm and hers modest. Finally, he had eyes of ice, _fascinating_. I was a pity he used to flirt with a lot of girls and during the two weeks that had been her boyfriend too (and, moreover, he himself had proposed to Mary to go out together). She had broken up with him on her sixteenth birthday, and he was going to be eighteen twenty-four hours after; she had gone to the guy's house with a cake she had baked, to celebrate both their birthdays: she had caught him exchanging effusions with an older girl.

It had also snowed that day... and that white had seemed so _close_ , so _warm_ , so _comforting_...

At that unpleasant memory, she took on a resentful look; she dropped onto the nearby chair, resting her elbows on her knees and burying her face in her hands.

She sighed loudly, capturing the Shuu's attention who as usual opened one eye to look at the surroundings (opening two eyes required _too much_ effort): he stared at the girl and lost himself in thoughts about his past. He growled, surprising the girl, and turned away, his back to her. The gesture seemed rather rude in Mary's twitching eyes.

After two seconds she was standing with her arms crossed and watching impassively a vampire tightly wrapped in blankets so that it was impossible to free him; annoyed, the blond grumbled to release him, arguing that it was too uncomfortable to nap. Otherwise he would have continued to doze peacefully even mummified.

The girl raised an eyebrow and snorted, turning to leave: she suddenly felt her leg being grabbed and she _fell to the ground_ , in a prone position and arms outstretched in front of her. Thank goodness she had a little of fat to cushion the impact against the floor.

\- You're not the only one getting annoyed, you... - Shuu smirked, after having ripped off the cloth that enveloped him.

The witch broke in cold sweat, regretting her too risky actions. She sensed the vampire get up... and then _drop voluntarily on her, like a sack of potatoes_. Both her back because of the impact and her chest because of the pressure gasped.

\- Now, _it's your responsibility_ to take me to some place where I can _sleep without hassles like you_ – he whispered in her ear, with a sneer on his lips, while sticking his nose into her hair and breathing in deeply, and he rested his arms on the side of her hips; Mary, in addition to the embarrassment and her once more pounding heart, could swear she picked up a certain _seductive_ note in his _deep voice_.

Thinking about it: it was just a feeling, or the two of them were like... _playing cat and mouse with each other_?

* * *

\- You are comfortable _to sleep on_ \- Shuu commented, while they were returning to the villa in the limo. Mary was sitting between him and Laito, who curiously looked back at her and asking for an explanation: he must have missed something _intriguing_ , _dammit_!

Kanato ignored them, more intent on communicating in a low voice with his Teddy, and Ayato listened vaguely concerned; he still seemed engrossed in other thoughts. Subaru paid no attention to their exchange, rather attracted by the girl's special hairstyle, wondering in disbelief how the heck she could collect all that hair with just two long braids (and he saw no hairpins or other hair accessories!); as he had overheard the night before, passing next to the girls' restroom, when one of Mary's classmates had curiously asked her how she tied her hair up.

\- What is he speaking about, Micchan?

\- Never mind - she murmured embarrassed, crossing her arms and curling her pouting lips. Shuu feigned a slightle wry smile and elbowed her in the side. Truly he only fairly touched her, since he didn't really want to spend too much energy...

Reiji did not appreciate the relationship that they were creating between them and stared at them annoyed. The next day would have been his turn... He grinned, adjusting his glasses: there was going to be a lot of fun with the newcomer.

* * *

 _I have a bad feeling._

Mary stared at the ceiling of her room with suspicious eyes, before shrugging and ignoring her sixth sense, focusing on other thoughts.

That had been the seventh evening and she was sleeping during the seventh day; a week had already passed... so fast... It had already been a year since that unpleasant issue in her town, which she had to face with _a difficult choice_ ; as usual she had proceeded instinctively, and yet her heart was still suffering the remorse.

She turned away, meeting Laito's excited eyes, luminescent in the darkness of the room, thanks to the curtains that fully covered the windows. A nerve throbbed on her forehead.

\- _Ne, Micchan ~_ , you haven't told me what happened _between you and Shuu yet, fufu_!

\- _Laito-kun..._

The bedroom door burst open and the vampire landed on his backside, laughing while the door swung shut and he heard the curses of his little witch, now red-faced and probably tossing and turning nervously among the blankets.

 _How much he had been tempted to dig his fangs in her neck again and savour her aromatic blood pouring down his throat, as she rested with a pensive face._

* * *

 **Hello, this is MTK talking~**

 **I hope you're enjoying this story so far, please review to let me know, I will be happy to receive reviews ;D**

 **If you want to get to know better my oc Mary Flyer, you can ask her here:** _askmaryflyer tumblr com_ **. I created this Ask Blog on purpose ;D**

 **See you soon~**


	13. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

Reiji was troubled. _Very troubled_. And surely the reason didn't concerned the terrible mark he had got in a physical education test at school that day.

It was the first night of his turn and in order to inaugurate the success of his _evil plans_ he had invited the girl in his own study, offering her some tea in his precious tableware. He had _not_ expected Laito to join them, self-inviting himself to the small _Tea Party_ ; _that indecent animal_ which was his brother had probably sensed his intentions: to use Mary as a guinea pig to test the effects of his poisons.

He didn't know if he would have prevented him or if he would have quietly spectated at the poor girl's convulsions, adding his voice to the _chorus of evil laughter_ functioning as a background music to the eventual tragedy. He expected the first possibility to occur, considering the _almost_ _morbid_ attachment shown off in the previous days.

Instead he was wrong, to his surprise: when they sat, the girl on his chair and the other one on a chair, waiting to be served by Reiji, Laito had winked at him; the bespectacled vampire turned his back on them, foretasting the consequences with a sadistic grin on his face, and he poured a poisonous sample in the cup destined to Mary, who meanwhile was examining his room, pausing on his opened books and his tools, and at the same time she was talking about Laito's frequently skipped lessons.

\- Micchan, you should _join_ me, every now and then, you know~ - he exclaimed with a provocative voice; she remembered the time she had heard him in the girls' bathroom and uttered a sharp and immediate "No", trying not to blush out, embarrassed.

\- Here you are - Reiji handed the _x_ cup on the table in front of the girl who grabbed it with faint gratitude; the vampire watched her posture and her way of holding the cup: he sighed impatiently.

\- I'll have to teach you some etiquettes, you're not graceful enough. At least you're enough polite, just the opposite of my brothers – he scolded her - Start with straighteing your back, _good grief_ , _not so crooked!_

Mary obeyed spontaneously; this side of him reminded her of her own mother: she also gave great importance to this kind of ethics. Recalling the mother figure, that woman with long snow-white curls, the gentle aquamarine eyes, the pinkish and lacy sun umbrella, the long blue dress and the purple cloak, the ever-smiling face, made her _shiver_ and she focused on her drink .

She looked at Laito who was calmly sipping from his cup, and she did the same, without too much trouble.

Reiji drank his tea while watching her: when she gulped the last drop without showing discomfort or tension, he wondered if he had not given her the wrong cup; but Laito continued to be Laito ... ( _as if he could change anything!_ ), he dismissed that guess and felt his pride frying of irritation: did _he_ make a mistake?!

\- Mh... Micchan? If someone wanted to poison you and you had no choice, what would you do?

Laito also came to the conclusion that something had got out of Reiji's hand, but his ask had been too direct; indeed the brother glared at him and was about to tell him off, when Mary's words floored both of them:

\- Oh, I would have no problems: I'm immune to any kind of poison...

 _Except..._ , she thought, lightly touching her chest with her fingers and bending her eyebrows, bitter; then she shook her head to prevent superficial thoughts invading her mind.

Reiji rubbed his temples nervously, turning around and walking back and forth across the room while Laito was busting a gut laughing; the witch stared at them questioningly with her mouth open and her eyes confused, unable to formulate questions to clarify their sudden mood changes.

* * *

\- These cups are really beautiful... Porcelain, right? - the witch asked, admiring a delicious cup with wavy edges and floral decorations, which she liked particularly since they were blue and purple flowers.

\- To be precise, English porcelain from the nineteenth century - Reiji specified with a hint of pride in his voice, while drying the dishes that the girl passed after washing them; they were in the kitchen, as she had offered to help him.

\- And they're still undamaged? You truly care for these, it's enviable... - Mary commented quietly, hiding an amused smile because of the vampire's passion for those tea sets.

She heard the plate in her hand making a sinister sound; a second later she was in a cold sweat, looking at the shattered plate and her fingers superficially wounded, and she felt Reiji's nerves breaking behind her.

The vampire put his hands on the girl's wrists, and hold them, _ahem, lovingly_ ; a sadistic grin was painted on his face.

\- Punishment - he said in an exalted voice, while turning her slowly toward him.

Reiji sank his teeth into the witch's soft hand, after tasting a few drops of her blood by licking the wounds procured with the plate's shards. Unlike Ayato, the young man's bite did not seem too painful to Mary and even leaked a certain elegance.

 _Just like Reiji_ , she thought with a nervous smile, embarrassed by the graceful way which the vampire held her wrist in. Grip that was intensifying, and Mary realized that it was better to _withdraw all_ of that she had considered: if his teeth didn't hurt too much while piercing the tender meat, the force which the vampire's mouth drank the crimson liquid with was beginning to give her much trouble; a certain uneasiness took possession of her body, as if she was feverish and had hit her head on a corner (and she knew this feeling, because as a child she had a habit of going up against anything).

She was sure that sooner or later she would have fainted, for the umpteenth time; the so slowly deprived blood didn't allow her body to perceive the severity of the damage, so it was restoring the liquid just as slowly, making her physically weak. She muttered a few words to the vampire to warn him, but from her mouth just an unintelligible voice came out, as soon as she met his magenta eyes observing her in awe as he moved the canines along the forearm, to the point where she was less thin.

 _Apparently this guy likes meat very much..._

After ten minutes she collapsed against Reiji's chest, who held her easily setting a hand on her back and the other pulling her arm on his shoulder. They would have seemed a delightful young couple while dancing, had it not been for the blood-smeared grin on Reij's face and the pale unconscious girl against his chest.


	14. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

Back from school, Mary dived into her bed without changing; math lessons were superfluous to her, since she already knew everything, and listening to them had done nothing but tiring her from boredom. She remembered her best friend, _Moron Face_ , asking her to tutor him... she smiled at the nostalgic image of that boy a bit taller than her who would ran into her, shaking her by the shoulders and begging with tears in his eyes to help him, arguing that it was a matter of life or death; she chuckled slightly, wondering how he managed to keep that _so-stupid_ smile even while crying. After all, it was him: a cheerful guy, funny and... _really, really_ dumb.

Before Reiji went and asked her to help him cooking for dinner, she quickly got up and took some clean clothes, her blue towel and darted towards the bathroom. When she knocked and received no reply, she felt an unpleasant sensation behind her shoulders and shivered. She whirled and met two purple eyes that chained her back to the door and Kanato smiled wistful, clutching his teddy bear.

\- _Mary-san_.

The witch swallowed. Since she had arrived in that house, they had exchanged a few words only on the first night; then she had met him during meals and a couple of times in the corridors between the mansion and school, without speaking to him and indeed ignoring, that time in the billiard room, his insistent glances.

She had labelled him as a psychopath ( _and cared about hermental health!_ ), so she was quite fearful of what could have happened from that moment on.

\- The day after tomorrow will be my turn... I wanted to ask if you would not mind baking a cake to eat together and to _celebrate_ the moment.

Had Reiji inspired him? Mary didn't said aloud her thoughts and continued to listen.

\- Your biscuits were very delicious, Mary-san ... I'd like you to cook sweets more often... _Neh_ , _tell me_ , do you even know how to bake cakes?

It was a feeling of hers or Kanato was getting closer and closer to her face without moving his legs, watching her intently from ... _a few centimetres below her eyes_? Only at that moment they both noticed the actual height difference between them, for the benefit of her, that was about four centimetres. He _did not like_ this very much, and walked away narrowing his eyes, irritated. Mary responded immediately to his previous question, in order to distract him from that unwelcomed observation.

\- Yes, yes... I can also bake cakes... do you have any preference, Kanato-kun? - she asked nervously. She wanted him to leave as soon as possible, and urgently needed the hot water's relaxing effect. Kanato pondered and then approached her ear with an eerie smile.

\- What about filling it _with your blood_? I wouldn't mind some little _pieces_ of your flesh, too... _pff_... aha... _ahahahahahahaha_!

His laughter echoed along the hallway, even after leaving Mary against the bathroom door. She was pale as a corpse and went in quickly, breathing slowly to placate a panic attack.

She told herself to stay calm, and possibly in the future, not to get angry.

If she had lost her temper, she couldn't have used her powers properly and therefore it would have been arduous to stand up to the Sakamaki brothers. If she had got angry ... she would have been able to kill them. And she _hated_ reaching that point, becoming overwhelmed by that anger which _already laid carefully locked_ in a chest in the depths of her soul.

Plus, _she wanted to get to know them better_ , those brothers...

* * *

The room where they were was very wide and empty, except for the three ancient sofa lined with a white-dotted blue cloth, located in front of the windows. The glass was a composition of colourful tiles as in a mosaic, so that it created a spectacle of colours within the large room with the morning light. At the moment Mary's skin was blue and orange; and she was standing straight and...

\- _Mattaku_... Be firm! Stop shaking, and DO NOT bend your back, _good grief_! - Mary asked mentally apologized to her mother for having compared her with Reiji: the vampire was far worse, a discipline and etiquette maniac, and he didn't hesitate one second to criticize and correct her several mistakes, while she tried to walk composed with three books on her head. It was impossible: just as she raised her foot to move one step forward, the tomes lost balance; it was already enough she managed to sit still without dropping them, though while trembling because of the effort.

Reiji's voice, as he continued to blame her, it became intolerable after a while and she (badly) thought about taking revenge. Farewell to the good intentions of changing character and restrained herself...

She should have never done that: as she suddenly tilted her head and saw the books sliding into the vampire's face, causing him to lose his glasses, she sensed the atmosphere getting tense and him freezing and reducing his eyes to slits, giving her a look of fire before gritting his teeth in a sneer.

 _Uh oh_ , the witch broke out in a cold sweat.

\- So, you did it on purpose, _huh_... did you think I wouldn't have noticed? - he uttered with an amused tone, taking a step forward; Mary moved backwards with two.

\- You know, before you, we had other sacrificial brides... and all of them reacted similarly: those who committed _suicide_ , those who cried _desperately_ , those who bled _to_ _death_ , those who rebelled or fled _foolishly_ , those who has endured more but died in the process of awakening as a vampire. _Except_... _her_...

Silence followed afterwards and Mary narrowed her eyes, staring at him intently. He had lowered his head, suddenly gloomy and mulling over some past event. Curious and intuitive as she was, she would have liked to ask him to tell her more, but she was preceded by him.

\- With _you_ , _a witch_ , things are getting more _interesting_... not to mention the fact that you are here of your _own will_. You must be somewhat _masochistic_ for agreeing to become our blood supply. Unless, there's _another reason_ behind it, right?

Mary had become a statue: expressionless, cold and silent. _No_ , Reiji thought: he believed her face to be more impenetrable than impassive. Probably, although it wasn't his goal, he had touched a sore spot. The girl kept on not replying back nor reacting in any way and her behaviour strongly altered him, losing his patience.

\- _ANSWER ME_! - he shouted, picking up his whip.

Mary noticed it in time before he attacked her. A couch moved between them, stopping Reiji. The vampire let out a sardonic snort and put the object in his pocket, and then turned to the girl an ironic gaze: a second later he is teleported in front of her, very close... and she suddenly became very serious.

\- _Oya? What a wonderful look._ I've never seen it on your face! Usually you're always so quiet, _steady_... at most, you get slightly upset, become sour or cold, but I've _never_ seen you smile, get angry or cry. What's wrong? _Witches_ doesn't have any feelings? I wonder how they felt in the Middle Ages, when they were _condemned to the stake_... do you think they remained indifferent to _their burning flesh_? - she said while standing fixed in the same place even when the vampire was a breath away from her face, his breath itching her forehead. She stared at him from below, strong-willed, with a frown and a hostile light in her silver eyes. Reiji laughed heartily at that look and took her chin between his fingers, lifting her face to approach it more to his. Mary didn't flinch even at that gesture.

\- _You amuse me_ – he whispered with a sadistic grin on his lips; finally, he bit her neck.


	15. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

\- Micchan, _fufu~_ , I would recommend you to use wax earplugs... Kanato-kun can be _very_ noisy...

Mary mumbled absently, focused on slowly covering with a pastry bag the cake she had baked for the violet-eyed vampire. On the kitchen counter, along with the cake, there was a basket of strawberries that seemed ripe and clean. Laito, leaning against the edge to her right, was smiling as usual.

\- Anyway, you know Micchan, Ayato-kun is usually _much more jealous_ of "his" food.

\- _Ahem_ , let's say blood supply? – _I ain't edible for the rest, sweetheart_ , Mary thought at the same time, giving him a dubious look.

\- _Fufu_ , as you wish~ do you want to know why?

\- I have the feeling you want me to know _either way_ , Laito-kun - the witch said, turning back to him again with an inquiring look, before returning to the cake and studying a possible artistic arrangement of the strawberries as she finished to cover it with the cream.

\- _Fufu_ , how _discerning_ ~ _Ne ne_ , do you know that Ayato-kun _has only one person in mind_? - He came up to her ear and whispered with a secret tone – He has forbidden us to talk about this topic, so be careful to keep this _confidence_ for yourself: before you we had a very special sacrificial bride, though she was human ... and, fufu~, Ayato-kun was jealous and _he still is_! You would say that he is in love, _so~da~yo~ne!?_

Excited, he chuckled at the thought of his brother and the girl he was talking about; Mary, after having massaged her ear to soothe the shiver caused by Laito's very close voice, frowned, remembering the previous conversation with Reiji about the sacrificial brides.

\- And now where is she? – she asked; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Laito darken for a moment, before resuming his mischievous smile and declare in a dramatic tone:

\- We don't know, _she disappeared from nowhere_ , _"poof"!_ You should have seen the Ayato-kun's face when he didn't found her in her bed~ - he chuckled, turning in the opposite direction to Mary, so that his face wouldn't be seen; the girl realized that wasn't his usual crystalline laughter and before she could have vented her curiosity, the pastry bag burst with the cream inside, having squeezed it too much. She stared at the cream on her pine-green sweatshirt with annoyed eyes and felt some of it slipping down her cheeks.

Before she could exhale a bored sigh, a wet feeling touched her right cheek: _Laito had just licked the cream off her_. _He had really done that_ and was grinning in front of the extremely embarrassed girl's blushing cheeks.

 _As if it had ended there._

She felt two fingers grasp her chin and turn her on the other side: Kanato repeated the same gesture as his brother with her left cheek, before giving him a dirty look to tell him to leave. In less than a second, Mary knew that she was alone in the kitchen with the newly arrived and mentally insulted the other one who abandoned her: _Laito-kun, this guy is able to amputate my hand by biting. He will gladly chew it too._

\- Mary-san... the cream is a bit strange... it's sweet, but I tasted a different flavor... - the young man quietly murmured, touching his lips with his fingers.

\- A-Ah... I used a few drops of orange flower water – she explained, while feeling very uncomfortable. Although it was slightly shorter than her, she had come to the conclusion that Reiji and Ayato were angels compared with him or at least they were not _too (?) crazy_.

\- Mh, _sodesuka? Oishii desu_ \- he said, impassively observing the cake as he placed his teddy bear on the kitchen counter. He pointed to the strawberries, asking her if she was going to use them; Mary nodded, bringing a hand to the container, preceded by the vampire's hand who picked one to taste it. His face assumed a disgusted grimace and the witch sensed that a hurricane was coming and backed away imperceptibly, a nervous smile on her face and beads of sweat on her forehead.

\- They are _BITTER_! - He blurted out, and with a rapid gesture of his arm he threw the cake which tragically smashed on the floor, under the girl's merciful weeping eyes.

 _Farewell, my sweet friend... Oh, Reiji will be so happy_ , she thought, swallowing in view of the problem she was facing: Kanato advanced on her, clenching his fists aggressively.

\- AND _YOU WERE GOING_ TO MAKE ME EAT _THESE_ STRAWBERRIES?! _HUH_?! - The girl understood why Laito had warmly recommended her the wax earplugs and she rubbed the back of her ears. Calmly, she replied that she would have tasted them first to check if she could have put them on the cake; Kanato shook his head and kept on screaming.

\- _LIES!_ YOU WERE GOING TO BRING ME THE CAKE WITH THOSE STRAWBERRIES TO _PULL A PRANK ON ME_! _NE, NANDE?_ Why would you do... _sob_... something... _sob_... _like that_...? - Then he began to cry; Mary's eye was twitching, seriously wondering what was his problem. In her mind appeared the image of a friend of hers who accused the witch of having tripped her on purpose, when she was just stretching her legs; she had been ten years old and the other one nine, and that girl was already irritating.

She sighed, approaching the cake and bending down to pick up the pieces.

\- I would never do such a thing, Kanato-kun, I do not see why I should.

\- Eh. _Sodesuka_? - He asked, returning impassive; she heard him approaching, while she nodded to confirm his words.

She stiffened when the boy crouched close to her, shoulder to shoulder, and her eyes widened at seeing him take her hand and bringing it closer to his face; a piece of cake that she was collecting slid back to the ground and a bit of cream stayed on the skin. The vampire stared blankly at Mary's hand, before opening his mouth and biting it with a feline sprint. The witch jumped and fell backward, staring terrified at the young man who had moved with her during the sudden movement, continuing to suck the blood along with the cream. He pulled away, gave her a crazy look and smiled eerily.

\- _Your blood will be okay instead of the strawberries, you know_? - He whispered cruelly, moving to straddle her; the cream on her hand, which was ivory-coloured before, was pink and red-striped after.

 _I don't like this at all_ , Mary thought, shuddering with disgust.

\- Teddy ... - murmured.

\- Huh? - He paused, glaring at her.

\- _I hope that Teddy doesn't suffer from vertigo_ \- she said coldly. Kanato turned his head upwards, opening his eyes wide: his teddy was floating in the air, very close to the ceiling. He gave a furious look at the witch, grabbing her by the collar of her sweatshirt.

\- You... _WITCH! GIME BACK MY TEDDY, NOW!_

\- Certainly, but only after I get out of here and you promise to feed on me... _more normally_ \- she snapped, narrowing her eyes. Trembling with rage, Kanato gritted his teeth and, after moving his eyes repeatedly between her and his teddy bear, he released her, growling.

Mary ran away immediately, with her heart in her throat; her silver eyes turned back to their dark colour after getting away and she leaned against the door which, if she remembered right, brought to the library. She gasped, consoling herself that she had escaped a very embarrassing moment. _Even Laito could have done such a thing, thinking about it..._

The door suddenly opened and she felt for a moment the void against her hand; she fell on someone, both of them crashing and laying on the ground. She blushed violently when she smelled the _clean_ _scent_ of his sweater and heard _a familiar voice mumble_ , as she felt an arm _grasping her waist_.

\- I said that _you are comfortable_ to sleep on, _not me_ \- Shuu muttered grinning, his breath on her cheeks on fire; immediately she sat next to him, realizing she had got his clothes dirty with the remaining cream on her sweatshirt.

\- _Oh God_ , I'm sorry, I didn't want to stain your sweater... - she stammered, agitated, leaning toward him.

\- _Undress me, then_ \- he murmured, slowly raising his torso and leaning against the shelves next to the door. Mary's face became even redder than Subaru's eyes.

\- _Hu-Huh?!_ \- She hoped she had misheard; the blond repeated his words and, giving her a provocative and mocking grin, he added:

\- Didn't you want to do this, _naughty girl_?

Mary stared at him with wide open eyes, frozen and blushing; finally she fainted and fell sideways on the wooden floor, making it creak.

\- _Tch_ , what an hassle - Shuu muttered yawning, before imitating her and abandoning his head on her side, his eyes pointed at her face; he stared at her for a bit, thoughtfully, and then fall asleep peacefully.

* * *

 _Sodayone -_ _Sodesuka:_ "is that so" (I think they have a different undertone; plus, "ka" is the question mark in Japanese, and "ne" is just a kind of emphasis)

 _Oishii desu:_ "it's delicious"

 _Nande?:_ "why?"


	16. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

She sank into darkness. Only her ears seemed to hear: the _anguished_ _cries_ of her best friend, the voices cursing her as they were _torn_ to pieces by the _child_ she had been, the warm presence with whom she _shared a lot_ , and finally the _lies_ that _had broken_ her _soul_ into many suffering shards.

A feeling of warmth wrapped around her belly, while her back was cold, as if she were lying alongside a floor; she realized she was regaining consciousness and hearing began to distinguish a clear male voice that was calling her persistently. Until she was indeed awakened by the strong hands that shook her sharply by her shoulders.

\- _Oi, Okiro!_ \- she opened her eyes, mirrored in Subaru's crimson ones, who was frowning.

\- What the heck... - Mary mumbled, still stunned. The vampire snorted, annoyed, and let go of her shoulders; he was astride on her legs and stared at her with a scowl. The girl blinked repeatedly, trying to remember who she was, who was the albino in front of her, where she was, why she was there and how old she was (and with this question, also if her mental sanity was still ok). After three seconds she widened her eyes and lowered them: Shuu was leaning with his head on her thighs, in deep coma; she blushed like a poppy and a tic in her dark eyes caused the other vampire to snort again, making her pay attention to him.

\- I have no idea and _I don't want to know what you two were doing here_ , but one thing is certain: _I have an idiot in front of me_.

Another tic, this time involving her lips, appeared; at the same time she realized that the previous part to that statement was sufficiently _ambiguous_ and _awkward_.

\- _O-ho_ , you're referring to the figure that I have reflected in the eyes, _isn't it, Subaru-kun_?

Subaru clicked his tongue, irritated, and waved his hand closed to accompany his words.

\- No, I was referring to you, _you ugly witch_. You must be an idiot for having agreed to become a blood supply for _six vampires_... or you're a _masochistic_ – he hypothesized, approaching with his threatening face. Before replying, Mary had the impression that she had already heard something similar.

- _Don't judge me!_ I have my reasons...

\- Are you fucking kiddin' me? Unless you don't wanna become a vampire, I just can't understand what could have made you go to such an extent! I don't care if you're an ugly witch and you know how to defend yourself, _this is madness_! - He barked, unleashing a fist against the wall around the door, destroying the frame and bringing down much of the wall.

 _Madness? No... this is Spartaaa!,_ the witch thought, immediately driving out the hilarious comments from her mind. She narrowed her eyes and she also approached her face, touching his nose with her own.

\- _And how does this concern you?_ \- Hissed; that attitude was too violent and vulgar.

\- _Only seeing you here pisses me off_ \- he replied, growling at her face. They stared daggers into each other eyes, not realizing that if Laito had been passing by the library and pushed one of them (he would have done it _, surely he would have_ ), their lips would have met.

\- _Oi. Shut up, I'm sleeping..._ \- Shuu mumbled below them, moving his head sideways and sinking it into the girl's soft abdomen. They both bent their heads down, touching each other foreheads, and looked intently at the blond with nervous eyes.

A second later the albino had pulled and launched him a few meters away from them and Mary had made a whole shelf of books to fall on his body; his groans were ignored as they moved away from the library, while rubbing their hands; they threw a knowing glance at each other, stopping in the hall.

\- But I think we could get along - the vampire admitted, glancing away; Mary gave a small smile and waved, walking towards her room. Subaru pursed his lips, and then headed off on his own, putting his hands in his trouser's pockets. A vase reached him straight in the face as soon as he turned.

\- _This is for the ugly withc, Subarucchi!_ \- he heard her screaming from afar. He grunted and giving a powerful kick out of anger, he threw down another wall.

And Reiji was going to be so, _so happy_...

* * *

Mary closed the door behind her, after having thrown out Laito for the umpteenth time, by refusing his invitation to sleep together; once she already had caught him clinging to her, his face _comfortably and shamelessly_ leaning against her chest.

Kanato passed next to her closed door, stopping to stare coldly at it and, before going on, he gave an affectionate look at Teddy, hugging him.

\- _Ne, Teddy?_ , in a few hours we're going to wake her up and _we will devour her, all right_?

An eerie smile appeared on his lips.

* * *

Mary suddenly felt goose bumps, as she was wearing a blue pajama shirt. She looked around warily, covering her bare chest.

\- Laito... kun?

Silence. She shrugged, telling herself that she was probably just tired.

Before going to bed, she made a little self-examination: she mentally apologized to Laito for falsely ( _more or less_ ) accusing him to have snuck back into her room; she grinned thinking of Subaru, and considered him a grumpy guy, but deep down he was kind-hearted and even shy; she blushed violently as she remembered Shuu, tossing around between the sheets, embarrassed and nervous for what was going to happen with the handsome blond's turn. She scolded herself in part, arguing to herself that she was behaving like a silly thirteen-year-old girl; and she was eighteen! But it was so wonderful and _heartening to be innocent and childlike_...

She bottled-up the image of her own bloody hands and buried her face in the pillow, forcing herself to recall the vampire's ocean eyes whom she had a crush on, at the moment.

 _... She was forgetting something to seroiusly worry about._

* * *

 _Okiro_ : "Wake up"

 **Hello everyone! ;D**  
 **I hope you're enjoying the story so far, let me know what you think of it!**  
 **I'd like to remind you that there's an Ask Blog ofr my oc Mary Flyer on tumblr! You can find the link it on my profile! ;D**

 **See you soon!**


	17. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16_

She was in a room, surrounded again by the darkness; she felt like she had been already there, however, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember when.

Suddenly a light began to faintly illuminate the surroundings and she looked around: some purple curtains covered all the walls, the ceiling was so high that she couldn't see the end, and in every corner there was a small table with three wooden feet and on each surface rested a richly decorated vase.

The coloured glass one had a geometric pattern; the pottery one was painted with a fantasy of flowers of different species, white, blue and violet; a third one was made of baked clay, polychromatic; last, the silver one had relief details depicting a forest.

The glass one was cracked and was releasing a red liquid that dripped continuously on the ground, wetting the ivory tiles; something told her she must not go there, but she couldn't explain why: perhaps because eerie cries of _two babies_ , and yet so _familiar_ , came from that area.

Instinct made her reach for the clay vase and put her hand inside, although a part of herself commanded her not to do it, _anxious_. She touched something wet, _cold_ , _slimy_ and soft, and wrapped her hands around it. When she pulled it out, she jumped back screaming, shocked, and dropped it.

 _It was a piece of heart._

* * *

Mary quickly opened her eyes, sweaty and panting. It was the second time she had had such a dream and was beginning to think that it was her nature and her past's fault. The first time was two months ago: by putting her hand in the glass jar, this had suddenly cracked and the blood had begun to flow along with those moans of infants; she knew to whom they belonged: to her and to _him_.

She took a deep breath, slowly calming down, and after seeing the time on the wall she turned to the left side; she still had half an hour to sleep, and a few more minutes of sleep couldn't hurt. However, as soon as she turned, she met two purple irises staring at her next to the bed, presumably sitting on the ground, resting his head on his arms, which were crossed on the sheets.

\- Nightmares? - he asked, with a placid and _ghostly_ voice.

\- _HIK_! – the witch squealed with fear, rapidly moving backward and falling out of the bed, her legs still resting on the mattress from the knee down to foot. Her head made a noisy _tok_ against the floor and she groaned in pain while arising with her bust, leaning on her elbows. She noted that in the meantime Kanato had climbed on the bed, crawling on all fours to her and staring at her from above. He put Teddy down, next to her left leg, and then touch it: the cold of his hand made her shiver, and she thanked God she was wearing a pair of pajama shorts and not a simple nightgown.

\- _Kanato-kun_ , what are you...

\- Mary-san, your terrified face is _deliciously charming_ \- the vampire murmured, running his fingertips on along her calf's skin, making her stiffen – what a smooth and soft skin... is this a birthmark? - he pointed at a large flower -shaped stain on the mid-leg, very obvious, cranberry coloured.

Mary turned pale.

\- _Don't you dare...!_

Too late: Kanato had licked and then bit the meat where that birthmark was. Mary suppressed a groan of anger more than pain and glared at him with furiously: _it was a precious memory_! She shook her leg in vain: the force exerted by the vampire's grip was impossible to oppose, especially in that uncomfortable position; she tried to kick him with the free leg, but Kanato had preceded her by squeezing its ankle.

The witch clenched her fists, looking for any solution, and heard from his lips a chuckle as he continued to drink her blood. And it was a feeling or _he was digging too much with his fangs_...? He could had torn her limb's skin at any moment.

 _Don't get mad, don't get mad, don't get m..._

Eyes flashed silver and the vampire was thrown against the wall behind him. After quickly recovering, he looked at her with hatred, and screamed; Mary, getting on her feet, didn't listen to him and grasped in her hands his plush, fiddling expressionless with his paws. Kanato appeared in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her violently.

\- Give him back, WITCH! _Give him back!_ \- he screeched, shaking with killer instinct.

Mary raised an arm, throwing behind her the teddy bear, punctually retrieved by its owner with a quick movement; he mumbled nonsense words, and hugged it ardently against his chest, anxious. He turned towards her threateningly, and met her still silver eyes, with sparks of orange light coming from the sunset seeped in through some cracks between the curtains that covered the view from the balcony; suddenly the bedroom door swung open and Mary's quietness and her steady gaze on him were a clear invitation to exit.

Kanato fell silent, hiding his mouth behind Teddy's head; he turned, and before disappearing, hissed:

\- You'll pay for it.

Mary sighed in relief and closed the door; her eyes returned to their normal ebony shade.

 _I resisted._

She wobbled, realizing she was right: the more bites appeared from the neck down the rest of the body, the more the pain was unbearable; surely that night she would have hardly walked around the school and an unbearable cramp would have tormented her, even with the wound healing sooner.

She sat on the bed's edge and rubbed her torn calf, which was already at an advanced stage of recovering, with nostalgic eyes and holding back tears of exasperation.

 _... Aniki._

* * *

\- _Aneki_? – a young man very similar to her muttered, sitting on a narrow and high wall overlooking the sea. He brought a hand on the headphones he was wearing, under his cap that covered the pink-dyed hair reaching the base of his neck. He pressed the button to stop the music and focused on his hearing.

\- Mark? - He heard a voice and footsteps approaching him. Beside him sat another guy with short black hair, except for a lock which fell to the face's right side; behind the his glasses, two emerald eyes kindly looked at him.

\- Theo - muttered the other one, keeping his face towards the ocean - I thought I heard Aneki's voice. _I miss her so much._

\- Haha, it's normal – his friend said smiling with an _idiotic face_ \- after all, you are _twins_ and your relationship is very, _very special_ \- he added, looking up to enjoy the sky which began to glow with stars.

\- Is the sky... beautiful? - Mark asked, his _lifeless gaze since birth_.

\- It is; _I wish you could see it_... – the other one replied, hiding a bitter crack in his voice.

* * *

 **1 _Aniki_ : means "big brother".**  
 **2 _Aneki_ : means "big sister".**

 **I'd like to remind you that there's an ask blog for my oc Mary Flyer on tumblr ;D**  
 **And please, let me know what you think of my story so far! I really care about reviews, especially because it's my first time writing stories in English!**

 **See you soon~**


	18. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17_

\- Congratulations on your excellent results. And it's only your seventh day of school - Reiji said, frankly amazed rather than just out of politeness, as they came down the stairs to the school's exit. Mary nodded and muttered a "Thank you", recommending herself to take note of that great event on the calendar: _Reiji had just praised her_ ; if Laito had known... She waved the three tests taken two days before in front of her face, each of them marked with a hundred; bored, she explained to the vampire that she was already familiar with these subjects, so she was already ahead.

Once outside, the sheets in her hand snatched away and she heard behind her a disgusted snort:

\- _HUH?!_ Full mark, full mark... _FULL MARK!_ Do you enjoy studying so much?! - Ayato exclaimed, puzzled and clearly disgusted at the thought of spending hours and hours on the books. _Certa_ inly, _he would rather stay in the kitchen preparing takoyaki for ever_ , she thought, as she felt Kanato and Laito reach them, the second one giving her an appreciative whistle.

\- Like I just said... - the witch began, only to be interrupted.

\- _Nerd_.

They all turned towards Subaru, who was scanning them while leaning against the limousine, on whose seats Shuu was already lying comfortably, for sure asleep. Much to his brother's delight, whose nerves began to throb violently, not amused.

\- Subarucchi! Better thatn the three you got on the math test, right? At least I won't attend remedial classes - the witch had a dig at him, impassive, and the albino started stammering as his face became red (whether out of embarrassment or irritation), asking how did she know. The girl shrugged and stated that his classmates were blabbermouths and rather noisy.

\- I even heard them... in the music room... what a bother... – they heard Shuu muttering, between yawns and suffocated chuckles. Subaru trembled with rage and walked angrily to Mary, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, before looking at her quizzically.

\- Su- _Subarucchi_?

Silence. The triplets burst into laughter, and the white haired vampire blushed, glaring at the witch who tried to look at anything that weren't his crimson eyes flashing with anger. At Reiji's whip's snap, the twins fell silent immediately, and the other two separated from each other; after leering at them, the second son cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

\- Don't make a scene at school, good grief... anyway, I have an urgent announcement for all of you; go in and I'll tell you.

He was _serious_ and his _severe_ gaze told Mary that troubles were approaching them; and her sixth sense said that she was involved too, somehow.

* * *

\- Yesterday _that man_ came back - the vampire spoke, once inside the vehicle, adjusting his glasses with a gesture less refined than usual, as if he had a nervous tic; Laito whispered to Mary that he was talking about their paternal uncle, and as she listened, strangely distant from her ear, she didn't miss Ayato's cold face and his fists shaking with anger.

\- He didn't specify the reason, he only ordered not to disturb him and not question him if we were to meet him... and he warned us _not to provoke_ his guest, a _hunter_ \- Reiji noticed Mary's startled movement, despite her imperturbable face - I think this concerns you more, I heard that person saying that he hunts especially demons _but lately also witches_.

 _If you knew...!_ , Mary forced a smile, before getting lost in thought.

\- If we mustn't stick our nose in his affairs, it should mean we're involved, _fufu~_ \- Laito suggested; Reiji shook his head.

\- _We already have a stubborn person_ , Laito – he hinted at Ayato who gave him fierce look - _But..._

The brothers stared at him, surprised: Reiji wasn't the type to worry about others' matters, especially if they were his uncle's, _and none of them wanted to know anything about him_.

\- Richter has " _borrowed_ " one of the substances that I couldn't test yet. It upsets me because its function is to raise the dead - he confessed, rubbing his chin as he thought, gloomily. The other five vampires had restless expressions on them; meanwhile, ignoring her curiosity as to why he possessed that stuff, the girl asked him:

\- Reiji-san, you're not talking about the _Miriandola Bluetta_ 's powdered root, right? - Laito jumped, hearing a crack in her voice, and turned his eyes to her figure: she remarkably paled, almost like a corpse. His spectacled brother blinked at the question, amazed that she was aware of that plant and that she had got it right.

\- _Oh damn_ \- she swallowed, deducing from his reaction a positive response, before nibbling at her finger - He's using _that_ method...

The vampires were silent, staring at her questioningly; Ayato and his two brothers seemed to understand though, and Laito slowly asked what she was talking about, bowing his face and hoping the answer not to be what he imagined. The witch gave him a worried look.

\- I think your uncle is seriously trying to revive someone, as Reiji-san said. But... _who_?

A dead silence fell on them and Kanato replied to her, to her mild surprise.

\- Our mother.

\- _That old hag..._ \- Ayato growled, clearly disturbed by it; their twin laid his head on the girl's shoulder, hiding behind his hat and leaving uncovered a unreadable smile. Shuu, Subaru and Reiji kept quiet, too blatantly bothered by the topic.

\- _Micchan~_ Do you know?... _We triplets killed her_.

Mary's eyelids twitched in a tic: inside her head appeared the images of a couple cruelly murdered and a girl who smiled, _traitorous_. She did not show any sign of fear nor shock, as if that discovery hadn't upset her that much; Laito chuckled on her cheek and asked her if it didn't unsettle her. Subaru watched her carefully, curious, Shuu stared at her with an half-open eye and Reiji narrowed his eyes.

\- You had your reasons, even though it was your mother - she sighed and muttered, sullen - And then _I myself have no right to comment_...

She seemed lost in unpleasant memories, judging from the her bitter grimace, but at the same time angry, with those raised eyebrows. Got back to be impassive, she faced Reiji:

\- Reiji-san, may we stop at a certain place? I don't like this situation, _and I'm saying this for both you and me_.

* * *

\- Too tight - Subaru muttered annoyed, as they slid along an indeed tight space, with the walls toughing their shoulders. Mary, ahead of them, retorted sharply:

\- I told you to stay inside... plus, you're the one who said " _Don't you dare to go alone_ "! - she suddenly snapped irritated - _What are you, my mother?!_ \- she added, pausing and turning to him. The albino stopped at a breath from her nose, blushing at the sudden closeness, and he had to press his hands against the walls so as not to be crushed by the brothers who had halted too abruptly: Reiji commented disapprovingly; Shuu slumped against him, causing him to react even more disgusted; Kanato was crushed between the firstborn and Ayato, and held out his arms up in orded to save his Teddy; lastly, Ayato swore angrily against Laito who voluntarily exercised more pressure to annoy brothers, pretending to have innocently tripped over.

\- _OI! DON'T PUS-..._

 _Smack_. Mary's eyes widened and her face became poppy-coloured, making one with Subaru's, also with wide open eyes. A silence fell _once again_ on the brothers who all looked at them disconcerted but Shuu, who was snoring against the Reiji's shoulder, close from having a neurotic crisis. Laito yelled from the back, hopping on the spot.

\- _Are are~_ , _I_ wanted Micchan's first kiss~! - he declared unhappy, putting a finger on his lips, muttering capriciously his disappointment.

Subaru suddenly broke off, staring into the witch's eyes; they both were still red and confused.

\- _Wa-Warui*_ \- the vampire stammered apologetically; Mary shook her head, stunned and embarrassed, mumbling that it was nothing; meanwhile, Reiji was trying to resist the impulse to _lynch_ Shuu, who kept on sleeping _as if nothing happened_ , Ayato was arguing with Laito _threatening_ him to shut up. Kanato was silent, motionless, still with _Teddy_ in his raised arms; and suddenly he felt it being pulled out of his hold.

\- _Teddy_? – he whispered, looking up at his empty hands - Ted... dy... _TEDDY!_ \- He shrieked, making his twins turn towards him and grumble that this was going to be an hassle, as he began to yell: Shuu covered his ears, annoyed; Reiji massaged his temples impatiently; Subaru gritted his teeth angrily, without forgetting the _accident_ he just had with the witch: _those lips had seemed so soft_...

Mary seemed to understand what had happened and proceeded forward quickly, closely followed by vampires; at last, they came out in a broader courtyard, dimly lit by a blue light and in a corner they glimpsed the seized plush: Kanato sprang forward, heading for the precious object, _abnormally elevated from the ground_.

\- TEDDY! - he shouted relieved, holding out his arms to it; but he was pulled back by his arm and fell on his butt on the ground, seeing the witch move like a cat in front of him.

\- _Kuso**_! – she cursed, lifting the left arm as if to defend herself from something, while the other hand grabbed the plush tearing it from the clutches of...

 _What w1as it, exactly?_ Two dilated red pupils fiercely watched her, as the creature they belonged to _mauled_ the girl's limb and wrapped her waist with its paw made of an oddly fluid substance.

* * *

 ***) Literally means "bad" and it's used to say "Sorry".**  
 ****) I think you know that this is a bad word ("s**t") X°D Mary usually isn't vulgar when speaking, but sometimes she just gets too upset to care about what kind of speech she should choose.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you soon~**


	19. Chapter 18

_Chapter 18_

The city where Mary used to live established the students, in groups of three, to be educated by a single teacher in the management of their powers; these particular training lasted for nine years, starting when they were seven years old.

The girl's teammates were her twin brother Mark and their best friend Theo, best known as _idiotic face_ ; their teacher was a twenty-four-year-old man who ran a store of ancient artefacts, voluminous books and interesting substances to be analysed and tested: _you couldn't have asked for anything better_.

During those years, even though he had a pretty grumpy personality, that man patiently instructed and _encouraged_ them to control most of their skills, guiding them with care and providing tips in order to have full restraint of themselves, so that their feelings would not trigger catastrophic consequences; therefore he also had an important emotional role, as he accompanied them in their daily vicissitudes even outside the educational sphere.

The more the years went by, the more he grew fond of them: he would give smacks on Theo's neck when the boy was acting as silly as usual, scold Mark when he was distracted or listening to his music or _the faintest sound in kilometres_ , desperately look for Mary when she disappeared God knows where, to satisfy her _thirst of knowledge_. They should have changed that saying, according to him _: the curiosity kills the witch, not the cat_.

And she often had gone close, _to death_...

* * *

Mary gritted her teeth and choked her moans of pain, while blood was dripping profusely from her torn arm; though the smell had made the vampires go crazy, actually it wasn't one of their first thoughts: rather, _what was that creature_ which was disguising itself against the brick wall?

The witch began to mumble something unintelligible, then turned back to Kanato who widened his eyes: she was smiling, her brows bent by the physical suffering and a drop of sweat was sliding along her face's right side.

\- _Kanato-kun_! - she shouted, throwing the teddy bear that was seized promptly by the vampire, squeezing it; something inside him seemed to change, but he couldn't explain well what it was. It certainly had nothing to do with the generous gesture of that girl who had returned the bear safe and sound, though she had used it as blackmail to keep him away from her; _without actually never scratching it_...

\- _Good boy, good boy_ – the girl repeated several times, teeth-grinding, squeezing and stroking more the unknown being with her free hand on what was probably his back. The creature seemed to calm down and after thirty seconds it had propped his muzzle on her right shoulder, releasing from the jaws the arm which fell lifeless on her side. It purred and Mary slightly cracked a soft smile; Laito stared at her, confused and worried, while the other vampires were somewhat disoriented.

\- _OI! Daijoubu ka*_... Oh.

A man had rushed over, popping out from a gap in the wall, invisible thanks to an optical effect. He was wearing simple black trousers and a black shirt, and his wavy raven hair was tied back in a low, short ponytail. He seemed to be around thirty years old, and a light down covered those few fine wrinkles near the mouth, hiding them and therefore giving it a more youthful appearance.

\- _Ma-Mary_? - he uttered with a faint voice, peering at her incredulously with his deep green eyes. The girl raised her good hand and waved to greet him, cracking a nervous smile and enduring the pain.

\- _Yo, Ari-sensei_.

The man gave a heavy sigh and put his hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it with uncertainty: he surely didn't expect a visit from his student, after having heard nothing about her for a year.

\- _I thought you were dead_ – he suddenly said, eyes totally convinced of what he had just said.

\- _You wish_ \- she replied sharply, taking the ironic note in her teacher's voice, while a nerve throbbed visibly on her temple.

\- Ah, they... - he exclaimed seriously, noting the six brothers' presence; he examined them quickly one by one and, when Reiji was about to introduce himself, slightly bowed his head as a greeting.

\- I didn't think I would see Karlheinz's sons here. Well, _it's always better than seeing him_ \- he muttered, with a contemptuous grimace at the thought of having nearby that vampire, bearer of troubles which he charged others with mercilessly.

\- _Cho-hime_ , doesn't your arm hurt? - he said, expressionless, pointing with the index at the mangled limb. The witch glared at him with her silver eyes, arching an eyebrow irked - Ok ok ... Minocchi, leave her.

* * *

\- I remember it was small as a cat, Minocchi - the witch said doubtfully as she let tap water fall on the injured arm. Reiji bent an eyebrow, wondering if she had not suddenly become stupid: how would washing the dismembered arm even be helpful? You could have seen the broken nerves and bones... Laito, unlike him, pursed his lips pouting at the thought of that precious blood that was going to waste.

Both were sitting with the others on some armchairs, invited inside a large room with black walls and golden carvings by the man; two lofts were on opposite sides and the most of the space was occupied by shelves of bulky and dusty books, showcases containing bottles of different sizes and colours, small tables with pots and containers of strange blends, scattered objects not well identified and glass containers with, presumably, animal organs and plants immersed in a milky liquid. Against the walls, swords with blades of various craftsmanship shone, with richly decorated hilts and other shelves carried boxes and bowls of unknown herbs, stones, liquids and powders, though Reiji seemed to distinguish something, as he examined the site self-interestedly.

\- This is what happens when you feed a dragon on onions every day for two years... _Cho-hime,_ am I seeing things or your regenerating power is slowing down? - he asked, as he poured _hibiscus_ tea into the cups, then grabbed the tray holding them and handed them out to each vampire. Laito thought enthusiastically that for the first time in his life he had seen a dragon; Kanato squeezed Teddy, horrified that he could have become that creature's meal along with his teddy bear.

Mary turned the sink faucet off under the nearest loft and, wrapping her arm in a large towel that she had gotten herself, joined them, sitting on the last empty chair; from her right on, there were Laito, Ayato, Kanato, Shuu, Subaru and Reiji. After eyeing them rapidly, she shook her head, turning her gaze toward the teacher.

\- If the wounds remain in contact with the body that caused them, my body can't generate new cells and expel those dead ones... it's as if it doesn't recognise the damage. So it takes a bit of time... – she muttered, removing the towel; the vampires opened their eyes widely, Reiji obviously fascinated by seeing every part, skin, flesh, muscles, nerves, increase in volume and return to their place: that arm was restoring itself. Laito dug his nails into his palm to hold back himself from assaulting her: being the closest one could catch a glimpse of that sweet scarlet liquid that was beginning to scroll through his veins; Subaru, albeit far away, had to turn his head in the opposite direction so that he didn't succumb to the desire to taste her, and blushed furiously when _those lips_ came to his mind.

The man put the tray down on an empty shelf and approached her, placing his hands on the seatback and, after giving a quick look at each of them, he asked:

\- If you came to me it's due something urgent, I guess. What can I do for you?

The brothers stared at the witch, waiting for her to answer: after all, it had been her idea coming in that underground building. After a deep breath, she closed her eyes, moving her arm to re-instate the muscle contractions.

\- You do remember the _Miriandola Bluetta_ , don't you? - the man seemed to stiffen to this question and bowed his head toward her, glaring at her.

\- That _parasitic_ plant that you were analysing on your own and which _consumed your lung, Cho-hime?_ Of course I do remember, _I was the one who had to take it out from your body_ – he said, in a harsh tone, and moved his hand on her shoulder; Mary frowned, pouting, and put a hand on the right side of the chest, as if she felt pain.

\- _Eh?!_ Micchan, you got only one lung? - Laito asked, genuinely shocked as the other five brothers: Subaru frowned, wondering _what_ could have devoured a lung; Reiji reflected he had possessed something _highly dangerous_ ; Kanato fell silent, interested in hearing other details to his _delight_ ; Ayato raised an eyebrow, _thoughtfully_ ; Shuu was mute and expressionless, keeping his _eyes_ on the witch's figure. The blonde remembered the girl 's panting while she was under him, during their meeting in the infirmary; only then he realized the source of her problems and put a hand on the lower part of the face, as if he was thinking, _sarcastically: Whoops, my bad_.

Mary opened her eyes, moving them to Laito, and explained that it had been taken away before the parasite could have consumed it entirely, then replaced by an artificial lung; his teacher commented muttering that it had more the function to fill the void in her chest rather than breathing. He recalled that from that event on, the witch had always had problems, such as after running long distances or too rapidly, or when swimming, or when she was affectionately hugged by her best friend.

\- If you wish, we can try cleaning up your old lung - he said at one point. Mary's eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, turning to him.

\- You _still_ have that lung?! _I told you to burn it!_ – she snapped bewildered, clenching her fists; her eyes had turned to silver again. The man tidied his hair, with an at all resentful and indeed almost ironic look, and grumbled that he had preferred keeping it to examine that plant more. Then, peering at her, he added that it could have been useful to them in their case. The witch fell silent, deep in thought, and slammed a hand against her forehead, gloomy, admitting that he was right; she settled back in her chair.

\- However, it is used along with the Demonic Essence, right? _In order to revive someone..._ – she whispered, uneasily. That downcast face aroused _Laito's immense desire to maul her on the spot_ , but suppressed it behind his usual smile. Meanwhile the man frowned, a scolding expression.

\- May I know, _guys_ , why are you trotting out this forbidden technique?

Reiji, willing to be part of that conversation that was attracting his interest like a magnet, replied:

\- I had a sample of that plant's powdered root, yet to be studied...

The man interrupted him, irritating the vampire who nervously cleared his voice.

\- You can ask Mary about, _after what she did_. _Get straight to the point_ , please.

\- It's in our uncle's hands now and we suspect that he wants to revive the triplets' mother - the second son summed up, pointing at said brothers with his eyes, then asked another question - _What is the Demonic Essence_?

Ari looked at him surprised and turned to his former student.

\- Don't they know that you're... - he paused, seeing flashes in her eyes - _Oh. All right..._

He took a deep breath and began explaining.

* * *

 ***"Are you okay?"**

 **The first paragraph is a kind of flashback to introduce Ari's character and role in Mary's life.**  
 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter (which was very difficult to translate for me TvT)!**


	20. Chapter 19

_Chapter 19_

\- _Aneki..._ I don't think it's a good idea to go and seek the _Miriandola Bluetta_ alone - his brother had told her, six years before, when they were twelve years old, while she was preparing in their bedroom for her excursion into the woods.

\- _Aniki_ , don't worry! I have very thick gloves with me and I'm dressed from head to toe! - his sister had said, ruffling his short dark and wavy hair. His brother, staring blankly elsewhere, had puckered his lips, muttering that according to him she should not venture alone into that futile search.

\- _Useless_! - Mary had gasped in horror - Why useless? Knowledge is very useful! And _I want to know_ , how much I can... - she murmured dreamily as she picked some papers up from the ground and put them in her desk's drawer; they all were sheets devoted to her analysis and her studies, from animals to plants, from people's behaviour to detailed drawings about her imaginary worlds. She had noticed Mark resting on the bed, sulking. She had gone and pecked his cheek before leaving, chuckling.

\- Cheer up, _Aniki_! I'll be back soon.

 _But it got so late that Mark had thought to warn Ari-sensei._

* * *

The man turned around them, causing a nervous breakdown to Ayato, Reiji and Subaru as he explained, beginning to introduce more information about the method that their uncle wanted to use to resurrect the triplets's mother.

\- This ancient and forbidden technique requires some conditions and specific ingredients to be performed in order to bring the dead to life, be it a demon, a vampire, a wizard or a human. You must first have the living body of an ordinary person and soak it in cold water, after having poured in the powder extracted from the _Miriandola Bluetta_ 's roots With water this powder undergoes a chemical reaction, becoming a poison... _an "alive" poison_. A _parasite_ , which slowly begins to _contaminate_ the body. Meanwhile, you have to prepare the Demonic Essence: it is... let's call it a " _matter_ ", a very special substance that is extracted from a demon's corpse within twenty-four hours after his death. Some have speculated that it is their life-blood, which allows their body to work. This essence, when the poor victim is fully infected, is poured into the water with something that had belonged to the dead individual whom you want to resurrect. _A robe soaked with its blood, or its preserved heart..._

At those words, the triplets paled and Ayato clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and shook with deep hatred towards his uncle.

\- The Essence kills the parasite in the meantime, and takes possession of the lifeless body, giving it the appearance of the deceased person and restoring its soul and its mind. And that's it. I add that the _Miriandola Bluetta_ plant is fatal - he looked at Mary - if anyone touches it, it stings and injects its venom.

The witch pursed her lips, whitening them, and moved her eyes to Laito, to distract herself from her unpleasant memories.

\- Laito-kun... do you think the body that your uncle is using... is the previous sacrificial bride's? - she asked. The vampire, with an unintelligible smile, nodded, glancing over the younger twin brother, so gloomy that he could overshadow the whole room. Kanato also looked incredibly uncomfortable, but it was more due to the idea of the mother returning to life; Subaru's hand was twitching, and he kept on closing and opening it nervously; Reiji blamed himself for keeping a powder so risky to be used as that, even if he wouldn't have minded using the older brother's body to achieve his aims; Shuu, in the meantime, didn't react in a particular way, but from his furrowed brow you could have deduced that he also didn't like the thought of having the triplets' mother back amongst them, like the rest of his brothers.

Mary took a deep breath; what had happened to the Sakamaki brothers since they were born? Why did she feel like they had very difficult and complex relationships with their parents? She knew, through rumours and her father's words, that only Subaru's mother, Christa, was still alive, while the other two had died: one at the hands of the triplets as they had stated, and it was Cordelia; the other was Beatrix, and she didn't know her death's cause. Another thing she was certain about was that there was bad blood between the brothers themselves; but she was also sure that all of them agreed on despising their own father, Karlheinz, and his brother, Richter.

She supposed that the previous sacrificial bride should have been of great concern to all of them, not only to Ayato, and she guessed it from how they all had frowned when Ari-sensei had cited the " _living body_ " required to bring Cordelia to life.

\- _I won't allow it._

The brothers jumped to Mary's sudden and unexpected words, after the silence that had dominated the room: they turned to look at her astonished, staying even more stunned.

The silver-eyed girl's hair had turned to a luminescent white; but the strangest thing was that she was _smiling radiantly_ , as if she wanted to reassure them. Plus, something produced in their minds the image of _millions of soft and bright coloured butterflies_.

She turned to Ayato especially, looking into his eyes.

\- We'll save that girl. Trust me... we won't let that woman come back to life - she said serenely, the last sentence more addressed to the triplets. Laito's wide eyes reflected the witch's hair's whiteness and felt something tighten his heart, like when Yui Komori, the girl who had remained more impressed in their minds than they would have imagined, had said it was because the weak human being needed it that she would have kept on believing in God. He realized that maybe he was indeed lacking something; maybe... faith, _hope_...?

Ayato stood up and walked quickly in front of the girl, holding out his hand.

\- You're a pest – he began annoyed, then grinned arrogantly – but, right now, I do like you! _I give you permission to shake hands with Ore-sama: done deal!_

Mary nodded her head and shook his hand; the vampire sensed a feeling of comfort and strength invading his body, suddenly invigorated.

Subaru snorted, smiling imperceptibly; Reiji showed his consent adjusting his glasses with a fine and relaxed gesture; Kanato smiled a melancholy smile, clutching Teddy; Shuu closed eyes his, serene.

The man watched the scene silently, later curving his lips in a relieved grimace: it was typical of his former pupil Mary acting instinctively and according to her values.

\- Ari-sensei, would you do me two favours? - the girl asked him, and he turned to look at her: her eyes and her hair had returned to normal. He nodded, listening to what she was going to ask him.

\- Contact Theo and ask him if he has news related to recent demons disappearing and especially hunters being _nearby_ , obviously – she fell silent, suddenly worried. Ari-sensei looked upon her, sympathetic and understanding immediately what was disturbing her.

\- Don't worry; the Demonic Essence must be pure, taken only by demons - Mary sighed, relieved, and continued.

\- And... _argh_... are there _other ways_ to stop the parasite's action, should we be a bit late, _that I do not know_?

The man stared at her gravely, before heading for a mahogany cabinet closed by a heavy padlock; he took the key out of his trousers' pocket and opened the lock, and then the door, looking inside carefully.

\- Either you burn it, but you are likely to kill the victim, if the parasite hasn't done it yet; or you risk with letting the Demonic Essence transfer the soul of the deceased... - he pulled out a container, sealed by a lot of cellophane layers - _or you give the parasite an already contaminated meal_ \- he concluded, holding the object to Mary.

The witch gulped and grabbed it, trembling; the screams of _agony_ filled her head.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The first paragraph was another flashback about Mary's past.**

 **I remind you that _Aniki_ and _Aneki_ means Big Brother and Big Sister; and you should know what "Ore-sama" means XD.**

 **Please review if you like the story so far~**  
 **See you soon**


	21. Chapter 20

_Chapter 20_

Mary locked the cabinet where she had placed _that_ container; her hands were still trembling and her face was pale and sweaty. Reiji watched her carefully, adjusting his glasses, before asking if the _Miriandola Bluetta_ was so terrifying. The witch had never expressed _such much fear_ in their home; even with him, Reiji, had not shown signs of pliability and had courageously stood up to him! And the coldness which she reacted against Kanato's bites and screams with? It was _so strange_ to see her in that state...

\- A witchdiscovered and cultivated it centuries ago; she used it to revive her husband, who had recently died. The funny thing is that she let the parasite infect _her_ and, even more hilarious fact, failed to resurrect his companion, since she knew nothing of the Demonic Essence - the girl giggled nervously, leaning her forehead against the cabinet that had kindly borrowed from the vampire - The parasite extracted from the dust will contaminate you, let's say it taked control of your body by killing you and makes it just a mass of living flesh without a soul. The parasite injected by the plant... that _slowly gnaws on you_ ; it's an horrible feeling. You feel it devouring you as if it was chewing crackers and the pain is so intense that it causes you to have convulsions. And when it touches your nerves... _you go crazy_.

Reiji's eyes widened: for a split second, he had seen a _mad_ light in Mary's eyes; she definitely didn't have a good experience and he pitied her a bit, because he would have never wanted to face a similar condition. No, certainly: _he preferred to see others suffer_.

She sighed and took a doubtful expression, giving him a pair of bewildered eyes; she asked him where he had found that dust and found out that Karlheinz's room, which was periodically cleaned by the six brothers _with great joy_ , contained very interesting stuff; she didn't hear the vampire adding with a _terrified_ whisper that in that room were even _infernal beings_.

\- Reiji-san, you said you still had to test the _Miriandola Bluetta_... who did you want to resurrect? - she asked, avoiding to question who did he wanted to use as a victim to feed the parasite, since she already imagined the answer. The vampire cleared his throat, peering grimly at her with a nervous tic and headed for the table where he was conducting other experiments.

\- It is not in your interest to know.

\- But I'm curious.

\- Curiosity killed the cat.

\- _It killed the witch_ , it's better. Reiji-san? Who did you want to resurrect?

\- I repeat that _it is not in your interest to know_.

\- _But I'm curious_.

\- _Curiosity killed the witc..._ \- the vampire paused, feeling a nerve throbbing violently on his forehead and slowly turned to the girl who stood behind his shoulders, her eyes fixed on him curious. He gave her a venomous look.

\- Could. You. _Kindly. Get. Out_. – He articulated with a voice next to a hysterical attack. Mary puckered her lips, disappointed and sullen, and walked away towards the door.

When she disappeared outside, Reiji fixed his hair while sighing of relief and removed his glasses, he massaged his nose's bridge, _amazed that he had not yet attempted to massacre her too_. He stared among his books and his phials at a card withMr Ari's address and phone number; his shop had really caught his attention. He jumped when he heard the witch's voice call out again, suddenly standing beside the door frame.

\- Reiji-san, be careful: Ayato-kun and Laito-kun shall not put their hands on that container! - she exclaimed, quickly disappearing from his sight before being knock out to the floor by the chair that the vampire had intended to throw at her. He took deep breaths to calm his irritation, then he snorted, amused: that girl knew them better than he imagined.

It almost seemed she had become... _part of the family_? At this thought he shook his head, pulling an annoyed sigh, and rejected that absurd supposition: _their family had never been a real one from the beginning_.

* * *

Mary quickly wrote some important notes in her diary, occasionally pausing for reflection and focusing on her memories, allowing them to re-emerge in her head for once.

She recalled her _senpai_ (not the one who had been her boyfriend for two weeks), when she was admitted to the hospital after that bad experience, and his encouragements given with great difficulty. In a way, he reminded her of Ayato, a bit too proud to express deeper feelings, and chuckled. Another person who came to her to have the same vampire's arrogance in common was her _kouhai_ : she had met her by chance, finding out she was her best friend's classmate. From that time on they had often clashed, because the _kouhai_ found her curiosity irritating, and she... she just _ignored her_ , making her even more nervous.

She chuckled: that girl was hospitalized in the same room as her at the hospital and later they had inexplicably become close friends; she had felt a bit sad when the other one was discharged first, as she had received less damage.

After all, Mary was saved from the _Miriandola Bluetta_ by her _kouhai_...

\- _Aaa-choo_!

A pretty short girl gasped, grabbing both her shoulder-lenght brown tails with her hands, and turned to her _senpai_ , much taller than her and with a long blond braid.

\- Anna-senpai, did you catch a cold? – she asked, with a crystalline voice, staring at her with her amber eyes from under her bangs. The senpai glared at her with her stone coloured irises and took on an annoyed expression, curling her lips.

\- No, Isa, I didn't catch a cold... I sneeze only for one reason: someone is thinking about me! _And I know who it is_ \- she muttered, taking a look at her _kouhai_ 's homeworks which she was doing under her supervision.

\- Are you talking about Mary-senpai? - the youngest asked, breaking in cold sweat at her friend's umpteenth glare.

\- Yes, I'm talking about _that one_... _Argh_... - she said, irritated, and then cracked a slightly rueful smile: after all, she had saved her _senpai_ 's life...

\- ISA. Redo this problem _immediately_ , _before I slaughter you alive_.

\- _Ok_... - the other one whispered, discouraged.

Deep in thought, she suddenly went cold.

\- _Kanato... kun_? - she called, turning to look at him: he was behind her, his teddy bear hold to his chest as usual and his eyes indecipherable on his pale-as-a-corpse face; his dark bags, however, seemed slightly thinner than usual.

\- Mary-san, last night you saved Teddy – he uttered at last, cracking a tired smile. The girl stared at him a little surprised, before cracking herself a slight smile.

\- I know that you care, so... – she muttered, placing her hands on the edge of the seatback and hiding part of her face behind it, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. Kanato tilted his head watching her intently and leaned toward her ear, whispering and making her shiver.

\- _Ne_ , as a _reward_ , you won't mind my forgiveness, _right_? I also promise to feed on you " _normally_ ", as you said.

 _Damn Sakamaki pride_ , Mary thought, raising an eyebrow and nodding: not having him hostile towards her was already enough, considering his bad temper... She turned to her diary, asking him if he still needed something, when she felt her neck being bitten. She groaned in pain.

* * *

 **And here is another chapter~ I hope you enjoyed it!**  
 **Please review if you like this story so far, I'd like to know your opinions about it an please, it's my first time writing in English, that is not my first language, so let me know about any mistake you find!**  
 **See you next week~**


	22. Chapter 21

_Chapter 21_

\- I said "normally", not " _gently_ "... I'm an _idiot_...

The witch muttered, her neck still sore: the night before, Kanato had bitten her so many times that numerous one centimetre diameter holes were left, hidden by a purple scarf she wore over the uniform shirt. She was wandering along a corridor, to stretch her legs during the interval, and went out in the schoolyard, inhaling as much as she could the last cool breeze of early May, before being replaced by the hot weather.

The scent of the still closed flowers flaunting their beauty in the flowerbeds relieved her from the past few days' stress, but did not eliminate it, and she walked quietly, looking at the sky illuminated by the sunset. She was so relaxed that she didn't heard some voices becoming more and more intense as she approached the school's back. Just around the corner, she stiffened and stared.

Laying against the wall, on the ground, sat Laito, focused on smooching with a student with blond curls who, noticed the witch's presence, stood up abruptly and ran away _screeching_ apologies, ashamed; from Mary's mouth, however, no embarrassed scolding words nor cold digs came out. She stood there, motionless, staring at the vampire, who grumbled capriciously for the interruption and then held out his arm with a little smile and eyes flashing with mischief.

\- _Fufu_ ~ do _you_ want to _continue_ in her place, _Micchan_ ~? I wouldn't mind at all, it's been some time _since I've been longing for your skin_... - he confessed with theatrical tone and a persuasive accent in his voice, before falling silent, perplexed. The girl had not moved, completely immersed in... _unpleasant_ thoughts, judging by her upset face. He jumped on his feet and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek.

\- Micchan? - he called, peering at her questioningly with pursed lips. He didn't like it when she wasn't responding, _he wanted to have fun_!

Mary, meanwhile, was actually remembering something unpleasant that she thought she had coped with...

* * *

Mary was fifteen, and would be sixteen on the third of February, and it was her last year of middle school. Among her peers she was known as the _girl who_ _pried_ _everywhere_ , often risking her life. The boys, in particular, had instead made her famous as the _girl who friendzoned anyone_ : in fifteen years of life she had never been in love; not that she never had time to know some young guys and have a crush on someone, since her only male buddies were her twin, almost always hand in hand with her, their best friend, _idiotic face_ (and was too _dumb_ to get her attention for something more beyond friendship), and their prickly _senpai_ , shorter and... _too much_ prickly.

However there was a rumour she had a soft spot for light eyes, especially blue ones. And blue as ice were Ryan Plum's irises, a second-year high school boy who was claimed as the most popular guy by the under 18 young female population in the city. He was handsome, tall, average build, he had long saucy dark plum hair, he always wore a periwinkle feathered scarf on his neck and dressed elegantly. He was a diligent student, an always cheerful and helpful good friend, a little clumsy with the kids; he was able to hide in the shadows, with its power to manipulate them.

 _Too bad he flirted too much with other girls_ , often getting a girlfriend for a maximum of two days. Many had scolded him and he had often, _sincerely_ , promised that he would change sooner or later. _And it had seemed he had made it, if it wasn't for a stupid mistake_.

Since she was in her last year, Mary often visited the high school to have a little chat with her seniorsand question about the future that was awaiting her; one of these days she was conversing with some girls who were waiting for Ryan to hang out to a karaoke and when he arrived he couldn't help but shift his eyes on his _kouhai_ : her hair was bunched up in a bun and messy strands fell on her face's sides, she had lively dark eyes like a ferret, her lips curled by curiosity and strawberry-red cheeks because of shyness... she was quite tall and her body was well-proportioned, with a little more flesh that he didn't mind at all. She was cute, soft, _she looked like a tender plushie to cuddle with_.

Needless to say he had greeted her, he had introduced himself and had tried to know her better. The following days, without stopping and seeing other friends, he had often joined her after school and exchanged a few words, making friends with her and then with his brother, her _idiotic face_ friend and her younger girl friends with whom she sometimes use to have a walk with. But Mary _either didn't seem to notice anything or she showed no signs of slowing down_ , being almost always expressionless except her slight smile and her distress in other cases.

It was the twenty-first of December and it was snowing when Ryan had swallowed and confessed, asking her to go out with him. For the first time he had seen her face blushing violently, embarrassed, after having stiffened for three minutes, but it was also the first time _he had been rejected by a girl without a second thought_.

\- _So-Sorry_... - she stammered, timorous - but I'm that confident you'll be able to sustain a serious relationship with me - she had admitted her thoughts with difficulty, not wanting to hurt him - _you're always flirting with other seniors..._

Ryan had stood still staring at her. Mary was afraid of having offended him tremendously, but before she could humbly apologize once again, the boy had come near her, taking her by her shoulders and staring straight at her.

\- If I was to give up their company for a month, would you change your mind? - he asked, _determined as ever_. The girl had got lost in the _charming blue_ of his eyes and had swallowed, uncertain.

\- We can try…

 _And it had come true_. Teachers, companions, friends, students from other classes and the same fans were astonished at the radical change: until the twenty-first of January, Ryan had interacted as less as possible with other girls at school or such, instead devoting more attention to Mary, more and more embarrassed day by day, who _had begun to become infatuated with him_ , since they were spending more and more time together.

The senpai's joy had been _immense_ when on the fateful day he had confessed once again, _hopeful_ , and she had stretch her hand out to him timidly, before walking along the road from school to home together, hiding her _shyness_ under her scarf. It was snowing that day too and Ryan had hugged her, kissing her on her hair.

 _And it was snowing on the day when he committed that mistake, too..._

* * *

Mary, dazed by the memory caused by that previous event, had tears in her eyes and and Laito had a lost expression: _since when did his Micchan cry_? Certainly that sad face was really cute and excited him _greatly_ , but it was still strange... He shrugged and held her, taking advantage of the moment to soothe her.

\- _Micchan_ ~, fufu, you look _so_ _cute_ with this face – he gave her a kiss on the cheek, chuckling – _Do you want to be comforted by Laito-kun, fufu~?_

The witch shook her head, trying to calm down, and apologized frantically, saying it wasn't her intention to make such a scene in front of him. Laito smiled still amused, but while he was pushing her to keep on crying, _because it excited him so much he was yearning to maul her_ , he was interrupted by an angry and contemptuous voice.

\- _Scram, hentai, it's my turn._

 _Subarucchi_ , Mary thought, surprised, before feeling her eye twitching: the vampire stuck to her had lowered _a bit too much_ his hands down her back. In less than a second she had thrown him in a bush and had passed with rapid steps the albino who, after glaring at his pervert brother, followed her. Laito watched them leaving with a mischievous and impatient look on his face and shrewd eyes.

\- _Fufu~ it's time to have fun~..._

* * *

 **And we have another flashback~ Well, I guess the 16-years-old Mary was quite shy, wasn't she? :D**  
 **I'm sorry for the late update, but I'm trying to focus on my studies too, since I have an entrance exam in September... And it's so hot, anche biochemistry is like "why is this stuff so complicated sob sob", that I'm like this: o**  
 **Well, see you soon~**  
 **Please let me know what do you think of the story so far and if I'm making any mistakes, English isn't my frst language!**


	23. Chapter 22

_Chapter 22_

Subaru kept on staring at Mary's hair, in front of him, as he followed her in the school halls. She seemed to have forgotten that she still had lessons, but in particular it looked like she had _forgotten about him_. This bothered him, and got fed up when the witch, thoughtful, sat on a bench flanking the lawn in the courtyard, ignoring him inadvertently despite being just a step away.

\- _OI!_ – He yelled at her, slamming his hands against the edge of the backseat, her head being trapped between them. Mary finally returned to reality wincing at the vampire's sudden movement and watched his sullen face.

 _No, definitely angry_ , she corrected herself, cracking a nervous smile.

\- _Subaruc-_

\- _Call me that way again and I'll bite your head off_ – he coldly barked on her lips, dangerously approaching.

\- _Sssubarukun_ \- she murmured in a low voice, breaking in a cold sweat; the albino stayed still in the same position for a long time, staring at her mouth without changing expression, and Mary felt more and more embarrassed at that exaggerated closeness and time passed without anything new happening.

\- _O~tto~_ \- they heard; the vampire didn't have time to turn around and shoot a glare at Laito that he had already pushed him ahead, with an excited and spiteful face. The albino found himself on Mary, bent legs against hers, their lips crashing together: he felt again that softness which _made him drool indecently while trying to fall asleep in his coffin_ , and an _ambiguous warmth_ in the lower abdomen. Stunned, he would have deepened it, if Mary had not fainted with both brothers' surprise.

\- _What the fuck...?!_

\- _Pfff, ahahahahahaha_! Oh God, I can't believe it _AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ _Micchan, kawaii~_ \- Laito laughed, doubling over, without being able to enjoy the view of her unconscious witch, who was so red that she could have been mistaken for a long-haired tomato. Subaru paced angrily, ruffling his hair, and swore vulgarly against the other one threatening him to stop.

\- _Silence_.

And so they fell silent: the two vampires were silent and opened their eyes open, before leaning next to Mary (the older on the right and younger on the left) and looking behind the bench.

\- Shuu ...? - Laito called him, perplexed.

\- _Are you fucking everywhere?!_ \- Subaru barked instead, wondering exactly since when was he there.

\- So noisy... - the blonde muttered, laying on the grass with his head resting on his jacket rolled up – why aren't you in class, the break is already over – he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep and his eyebrows frowning in an annoyed grimace.

\- _Look who's talking!_

\- Subaru-kun was _flirting_ with Micchan, _fufu_ ~...

\- _HUH?!_ _With this ugly witch? Over my dead body!_

\- _Fufu_ ~ you sure were enjoying the kiss~...

\- _URUSE, HENTAI!_

\- _Aaah, mendokusai..._

\- No really, you are too noisy - was Mary's comment, who had just recovered. She had bent her back forward, resting her elbow on the thigh and rubbing her eyes; the vampires on her sides jumped, asking her when did she awakened, and heard Shuu chuckling from underneath.

\- Laito-kun, why _the heck_ did you push Subaruc...

- _I'll rip your head off._

\- Subaru-kun - she corrected herself, ignoring a chill running desperately down her back - So?

\- Micchan! _Are you angry?!_

Silence fell again, after Shuu reaised with his upper body, leaning with his arms to the edge of the bench's backseat. The three vampires stared at the witch intently, waiting for her answer eagerly, delighted: they still hadn't seen her enraged.

Mary went back composed, her silver eyes twitching nervously, her lips curled and her eyebrows bent in a gloomy frown.

\- No – that was a lie, and the brothers knew it.

\- What's bothering you, fufu~? - Laito asked; he felt more curious than usual, perhaps it was the premature effect due to the following full moon?

\- With that reckless act you reminded me of _a moron_ \- she hissed, trying in every way to cast Ryan's figure away from her mind; _resentment_ was the feeling tormenting her.

\- Eh, _really_ ~? - Laito chirped, surrounding her shoulders with his arm – Is he perhaps... _a lover?!_ – he asked mischievously, not expecting that he had been so close to the truth. Subaru folded his arms across his chest and seemed not interested, though he was listening to the conversation a little too much curiously on his part; Shuu... had collapsed back to the ground, apparently in a coma, judging by his snoring.

\- Not exactly, but we had been a couple for two weeks...

Laito eyes widened astonished: _his Micchan_ had had a boyfriend and she was _still so pure_?!

Subaru suddenly felt mad, _very mad_ : _that ugly witch_ had had a boyfriend?!

Shuu... snored, blissfully immersed in his sweet Sleeping Land.

* * *

\- _Mary-chan, you're really beautiful today!_ – her senpai had complimented her, referring to her hair that she unusually left loose. They were walking home from school, hand in hand, feet sinking into the snow which wasn't stopping its path from the milky sky.

Mary had blushed and shifted her gaze elsewhere, _embarrassed_ , thanking him feebly; Ryan had smiled, watching her _tenderly_.

It had been twelve days and he was still in love with her, he never got tired from keeping his eyes on her; he just felt he wanted some _deeper_ affection than kisses on the cheeks and on the forehead. He had called her to make her turn toward him and tried to surprise her with a kiss on her lips, but the witch had jolted, falling back before he could accomplish his goal.

\- Mary-chan?! _Daijoubu_? – he had asked, holding out his hand a bit confused by her behaviour. Was she really was _so shy_ , _so prudish_? Not that he minded, _but_...

\- _Gomen_ – he had heard her sobbing and had winced, worried: he had crouched beside her, asking her if she had hurt herself.

\- _Gomennasai_... I know you're doing it because you like me, but I still don't feel ready to be kissed... – she had looked at him with regret, tears in her eyes and her cheeks flushed.

 _I mustn't jump at her, even if she's so fatally cuuute_ , Ryan had thought, his nose twitching; he had smiled radiantly.

\- I don' like you... _I love you_! I'll wait, don't worry – he had told her; her dark eyes had shined and she had nodded and hugged him affectionately.

The thirteenth day he had wanted to go with her to the library, talking about the books she liked so much. To his surprise she was busy with the chores at home; Ryan had returned to his apartment, _sulking_ , but being the first time that happened such a thing he had not minded it too much and rather had planned something to do for the next day, after school; and it was his girlfriend's sixteenth birthday.

However, when he had called her on his cell phone the next morning, he had not been answered; she always answered almost immediately. _Was she avoiding him?_

 _Gloomily_ he had called a friend and had invited her to his home, although his conscience had repeatedly shouted that he was acting _foolishly_ ; he had ignored it while exchanging sweet nothings with the girl who had arrived almost immediately.

He had felt almost more _free_ , more relaxed and _satisfied_ , when two hours after he had heard the bell ringing. With the damsel embracing him and joking, he had gone and opened the door, _stiffening on the spot_.

Mary had stared at him with wide eyes, while he was still close to the other girl; she had been wearing her blue coat and her ivory scarf hiding half of her face. Her hair had been loose, with an elegant pink clasp to keep the strands rebel away from her eyes, which had been for the _first time pleasantly painted_ with a bit of grey eyeshadow. In her hand was a white box, like the pastry ones.

Ryan had felt _his heart tighten_ while seeing her lively dark eyes dying out. She had moved a step backwards, before walking quickly toward the stairs that would have led her out of the building. Ryan had not perceived anything more and could only see the pearly white sky that kept dropping its white feathers on the ground.

* * *

Mary sighed again, after having summarized the story by removing unnecessary or cheesy details to Laito, who was rocking on the bench thinking.

\- _Hee, so cruel..._ \- he said, and then chuckled and hugged her - And _now_ what do you think of Ryan-kun?

\- _I'd like to tear his hair one by one with a pair of tweezers and smash him into small pieces_ \- she growled darkly, getting a chuckle of appreciation from Subaru who had imagined the bloody scene.

\- _Fufu~_ I would have welcomed you in my arms and _taken you with me to be_ -...

\- Good thing he didn't eat that cake, he would have died poisoned by you, _ugly witch_ – the albino said with a mocking smile, after having slapped the other vampire before he concluded the sentence with something nasty.

Mary glared at him.

\- I hope I'll poison you in some way by drinking my blood.

The two vampires stared blankly at her, before exchanging a knowing look; Subaru gave her another mocking expression, mischievously smiling.

\- _Haa_ , so you wanna be bitten, huh? _I'll satisfy you right now_ \- he whispered hoarsely, leaning on her and licking her cheek. Mary paled, not because she was going to be bitten (after all it was her "duty"), but rather because of the mischievous look that Laito seemed to have lent to his younger brother, as he held her by the shoulders from behind, excited to attend the albino's meal.

Subaru sank his fangs on her neck voraciously; the first stars of the evening were not the only ones to be admired by Mary, with all the pain she was feeling because of the predator. Who, _by the way_...

Laito noticed her sudden redness and choked out a disbelieving laugh: his Micchan had realized _only then_ that she had been ready kissed twice by the albino, when she had refused _his kisses_ because of her values!

 _Fufu~._

And Shuu was still sleeping beautifully; Subaru cursed himself that he had started his turn in presence of his disgusting brothers, since he couldn't have gone _further after a simple bite on the neck_...

After ten minutes, they horrifically perceived some steps intensify in their direction, probably a student or, worse, a teacher: Subaru picked the witch up, disappearing instantly, then imitated by Laito who gave a quick look behind the bench, where there was _no_ Shuu.

* * *

Ryan had moved abruptly, chasing his girlfriend and ignoring his friend's calls.

\- Mary-chan! I can explain! - he had shouted, a few meters from her; the witch had stopped next to a garbage can and put the white box on the lid. She had her back facing him, but from her shuddering and her voice cracking like a crystal he had understood that she was sobbing.

\- It's doesn't matter… i-if ... one day you say you... you... you... lo... l-lo-love... me... – she was having problems with breathing; Ryan had approached her, genuinely concerned.

\- Mary-chan, _calm down_ , your lungs...

\- DON'T YOU DARE WORRY! – she had yelled, then coughed violently. Ryan had been speechless, shocked: _Mary had never raised her voice in that way, with anyone_. He had heard a deep breath, weary.

\- _I told you_. I told you that I wasn't confident... _but I trusted you_! I feel so... so _frustrated_...

Ryan had lowered his head, bitter.

\- I'd slaughter you. But I can't. _I still love you too much_ \- she had turned toward him, her tears dirtying her cheeks with make-up, a forced smile on her lips - Thank you... anyway...

She had spun, while having a spasm.

\- _It's already over_ \- she said, trying in vain to be imperturbable and look confident.

She ran away. Ryan stumbled to the bin and opened the white box: inside was a big cake, covered with chocolate cream, with " _February 3_ _rd_ _& 4_ _th_ _: Mary+Ryan, Happy Birthday!_ " written on _._ He had suddenly felt powerless and had slumped to the ground, covering his eyes with one hand and beginning to weep silently: _Mary wasn't avoiding him,she was only focusing on preparing a cake for both of them, a surprise for him_.

* * *

 **Here is another chapter~  
I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think about it~**


	24. Chapter 23

_Chapter 23_

Mary entered the music classroom after verifying that there was no one, and sat on one of the benches, swinging her drooping legs. She was pretty down in the dumps, for various reasons: the "Richter issue" had certainly upset the life to which she was getting used to, _and was already bizarre among those perverts, psychopaths, arrogant individuals and sleepwalkers_ ; moreover, she had allowed her memories to crush her with their three tons weight _("Witch jam, 500 yen each jaaar..."_ ). If remembering the lung incident had frightened her and her heartbreak because of Ryan had put her in a bad mood, only remorse and depressive phases about those times when she had smeared her hands with other people's blood would have been her deathblow.

She shook her head, muttering in exasperation: her intentions not to be overwhelmed by her past crumbled to ashes, after a year of arduous existence. And her dreams didn't help: that night she had dreamed again of the room with vases, putting her hand in the ceramic one decorated with blue, purple and white flowers. She had pulled out the lung contaminated by the _Miriandola Bluetta_ and had awakened from that nightmare when the parasite had decided to continue its meal which was interrupted years before.

 _New life? Pff, as if._

She jumped off the bench, wandering around the room and brushed her fingers against the violins hanging on the walls, and then sit down at the piano: her brother Mark, despite his blindness, was a talented musician, and not only thanks to his power that involved everything about sounds; he was a great composer thanks to _his own creativity_. The witch sighed, slightly sad and chuckled: on the contrary, she was quite tone-deaf and music wasn't her cup of tea at all, she only could listen and daydream to it.

She suffered a bit from this gift not shared with her twin, as this one was affected in the same way by his failure in the artistic field: in fact, his sister had talent for drawing. They had helped each other: she had patiently taught him (he was still blind!) to draw cats and characters in " _chibi_ " style, he had made her learn by heart a simple melody on the piano, which she wanted to play at that moment.

She put her fingers on the white keys and concentrated on her memory; she soon began to play, first slowly, then more fluently: she placidly smiled and closed her eyes, trusting her photographic memory, and relaxed thanks to that song that was only hers and his brother's: sometimes their mother joined them singing with her enchanting voice, caressing their hair from behind with that maternal joy that had raised them lovingly. _But that not all mothers were able to manifest to their own children..._

\- I didn't think you played - she suddenly heard, the voice coming from the other side of the classroom compared to her position. It was very familiar, but it wasn't as drowsy as usual, sign that he was probably awake since a long time.

\- Shu-Sh- _SHUU-SAN_ ?! – the witch screamed, pausing and blushing; she considered that reaction being too much _infatuated-girl-like_ and insulted herself mentally for appearing always _so immature_ in front of that handsome ocean-eyed vampire. Shuu grumbled, saying that her voice could have shattered the windows and that it clashed in every sense with the melody she had just played. Mary blushed even more, this time from anger, even though the blond _was not wrong_ ; she fell silent and ignored him, returning to play.

\- Monotonous - the young man still complained in a distant voice, still determined not to be seen; she quickly answered back:

\- You don't have to listen; and I don't know much about music, I only know this song by heart.

Shuu finally got up slowly from the floor where he was lying, behind the desks, and leaned against a chair, yawning; witch calm and sluggish steps he approached her.

 _Doesn't he never stumble walking close-eyed?,_ the girl wondered; she cracked a slight grin and her irises became silver.

The vampire stumbled over a violin, falling head over heels to the ground; he mumbled something, raising his torso and idly watching the instrument that he was sure it was not there until a few seconds before; he stood up, carefully watching the who kept on playing innocently, her eyes dark.

Feeling his eyes on her, Mary turned to him and smiled candid; the blond raised an eyebrow, before glaring disapprovingly at her and criticising her hands.

\- Stiff, _too stiff_... unfit... – he muttered, sitting down beside her, shoulder to shoulder; the girl felt blushing and flinched as soon as he grabbed her hands in his. The fresh scent coming from his clothes didn't help her condition, _it was intoxicating her too much._

\- First relax your hands - the blond said, massaging them, and then corrected himself - No, _you have to relax_. You're _too much_ tense. You put _too much_ pressure on the keys; the sounds will come out _too much_ rigid. _Rely on your fingertips_ \- he advised her. Certainly it took him a lot of time to utter a single sentence of few words, but at least no one could have accused him of not being comprehensible.

He grinned in seeing her ears red with embarrassment and brought his lips to one of them, slightly touching it.

\- _Try again_ \- he said, moving away and closing his eyes.

Mary resisted the urge to pass out and began to play, following his instructions as best as she could; though the notes were more delicate, Shuu noticed the movements weren't enough fluid yet and narrowed his eyes strictly on the witch: her face was no longer embarrassed, but _frustrated_. What was she thinking?

\- Oi, I told you to relax, _woman_.

\- My name is Mary, _sloth_.

Shuu arched an eyebrow again and asked muttering from where that sudden nickname had popped out; at one point, irritated, he brushed her hands off sharply and played in her place, ordering her to watch him carefully.

Mary gladly pointed her eyes on his figure and for an eternity-like period she was lost in his melody, charmed by his serene face; _he must really love music,_ that was her thought. She clenched her fists: she could have practiced as much as she could, _but she would have never been able to reach that level_ ; she didn't like music as much as she loved drawing, in which she indeed excelled instead.

 _Everyone has a passion to live for, after all_ , she thought again, closing her eyes and smiling sweetly; she slightly rocked her head according to the song's pleasant pace, soon interrupted by the bell sound: she opened her eyes wide, jolting.

\- I still have class!

\- _Shut up._

\- "Shut up"?! _You_ should go back to your classroom _too_ , Shuu-san - the witch said, standing up with insistent gaze. The blond looked at her for a second and then ignore her; Mary poked him on the shoulder with a finger, repeating the action several times, until her silver eyes flashed on her expressionless face.

Shuu groaned, more surprised than pained, when the keyboard lid dropped on his fingers; he turned his eyes to the girl, glaring at her annoyed, and snorted with irritation, then sneered.

\- I already told you that you're not the only one getting annoyed – he said; Mary missed a few heartbeats and gulped, before finding herself _under him_ , on the ground, after feeling something making her lose balance. She listen to Shuu's deep breathing, a sign that he had dozed off again; she slammed a hand against her forehead, happy at least that he had not bitten or _sadistically_ " _punished_ ", yet. With difficulty she slipped away from him, who fortunately had fallen on her at the hip.

She quickly get out of the music classroom, unaware that a pair of crimson eyes had witnessed the scene from the beginning to the end, and headed for his class; she thanked God that it wasn't Reiji's turn, but still hoped not to face a _too-much-tending-to-torture lecture_. As expecting from him...

She turned at a crossway and crashed her nose against someone's torso, probably a male deducing by the his scent; aching, she was about to apologize, but an electric feeling stopped her for a moment. She stared at the young man in front of her, about twenty centimetres taller than her, who was grimly gazing at her with his brown eyes and an upset expression, to say the least. Along him, three other young man rested their gaze on her, one of them slyly smiling, the second curiously and the other with an indecipherable face, perhaps amused.

\- _Oi, baka onna_ 1!, watch your step – the one she had ran into growled, tilting his head and waving his brown hair pulled back into a high and messy bun. One of the three pals, with blonde hair and a strand covering his right eye, slapped him on the shoulder, smiling cheerfully.

\- Yuuma-kun, you don't talk that way with a _lovely damsel_! - he jokingly scolded him and gave her a sweet look to the girl with his blue eye.

\- I think... we're scaring her? – the one with an horizontal scar on his nose feebly muttered; he had long black hair down to his ears and fair lavender eyes fixed on her: if she had to become attached to any of them at first glance, it would have been him, she was sure of it.

\- Or perhaps she realized _what we are_ \- the last one smiled mysteriously; he had saucy black hair with white tips, and he gazed at her with his blue-gray eyes.

 _They gave off similar vibes as those coming from the Sakamaki brothers._

Mary silently examined them one by one, impassive, and then direct her eyes into the young man's brown ones in front of her; she bowed her head in a slight nod.

\- Excuse me for bumping into you – she moved to the side and passed them – _have a good night_.

The four young men kept on staring at her until she disappeared into another corridor, ambiguous and not compromising smiles on their face.

\- Mh, _Neko-chan_ was a little cold to me! - the blond muttered sulking.

\- _We're the same height..._ – the scarred one considered with a whisper, happy.

\- _She smelled nice_ – the tallest chuckled.

\- _It'd be interesting to get to know her_... but we'll have to wait awhile – the gray-blue eyed one asserted at last with an unreadable smile, tidying his hair.

* * *

 **1 "Baka" means "stupid" and "onna" means "woman".**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story so far ;D**  
 **Thank you for reading ~**


	25. Chapter 24

_Chapter 24_

Reiji was _certainly_ the worst classmate someone could ever have, especially if you lived under the same roof.

As they returned to the villa, he gave her a three hours' lecture, repeating that those ten minutes of delay with which she got back to classroom were a disgrace, and called repeatedly Laito, who was muffling his laughter while making company to Mary, both sitting on the living room sofa. The vampire adjusted his glasses after concluding his speech with an exasperated sigh and threatened her that with his next turn he wouldn't be so merciful, unleashing a sadistic grin on his face.

Mary shivered, staying expressionless, and exhaled from relief when he walked away, resting her head on Laito's shoulder who finally could laugh, exclaiming how hilarious his brother was: he had walked back and forth frantically, clutching his inseparable whip, with that big pulsing nerve on the right temple and teeth clenched in irritation.

He calmed down after a few minutes, wiping away a tear, and blinked at the question that the witch suddenly asked him.

\- Laito-kun, are there other vampires here, besides you?

\- Hm... I don't think so, why do you ask? It's not like you're _cheating on me_ , _are you_ , _fufu~_? _Naughty Micchan~_ \- he blew on her hair and purred while hugging her; Mary drove out her memories of her ex-boyfriend and that of the time in the library with Shuu, as pushed the snickering vampire's too close face away.

\- _No_ , Laito-kun... I just asked out of _curiosity_ \- which was true. He smiled, unconvinced, but decided not to persist and kept rather joking with her, taking advantage of the fact that _Subaru wasn't nearby_. After twenty minutes of pampering and squeezed cheeks, Mary threw him on the floor when she felt his popsicle-like cold fingers travelling under her shirt's fabric, and left, heading into the kitchen to prepare the late night meal (?).

Initially Reiji gave her a resentful look, but later the atmosphere seemed to grow calmer; while he was tasting the broth and she was peeling carrots and potatoes, he asked if she had got any more news from Mr Ari and she shook her head, saying not to worry.

\- _Me_ , _worried_? – he denied with a wry grin – Don't get the wrong idea, _please_.

 _Yes yes, of course_ , Mary thought, holding back a mocking snort, as they finished cooking; once ready, they brought the food in the dining room, and called the others.

Mary noticed that the brothers' mood had definitely improved compared to the first days they spent together: Shuu was certainly still asleep in front of his dish, though she had sworn she had seen him take a few bites; Ayato ate noisily, probably reassured by the fact that Richter wouldn't succeed against the magnificent Ore-sama he was; Kanato occasionally vented his madness, alternating a few relaxed gaze turned to the witch, because she cooked him sweets which he binged on; Laito sometimes whispered dirty words, getting an elbow in the side and giggling; Reiji was holding his killer instinct, merely scolding them for their bad manners; Subaru...

 _Subarucchi?_ , as always, the albino was silent and his eyebrows were furrowed in a frown, but there was something _strange_ : he seemed darker than usual, _he was emitting very bad vibes_. The vampire, feeling observed, looked up from his food to her; he growled in anger, as if he was burned on purpose, and then immediately broke eye contact.

 _EEEH?!,_ Mary's widened, _What have I done now?!_ , she mentally snapped, offended, narrowing her eyes in his direction with an indignant grimace.

After dinner, each of them retired to their own room to rest, but Shuu and Mary: the first one was lying on the table, keeping on snoring loudly, the second had stopped to look at him with a raised eyebrow, before grinning fiendishly and taking on her typical silver irises; then she headed for Subaru's bedroom, leaving the vampire with blonde hair tied in numerous messy pigtails.

Oh, _how many beautiful things_ would await her during _his turn_...

She wanted to understand what bothered the albino, one of those few who she had genuinely warmed up to, though most of the time she felt the urge to slap him several times because of his cold and unfriendly attitude; being two years younger than her, she knew that it was probably a quite difficult age, since you began to see things in a more and more... _oddly way_ : she wouldn't have minded helping him, though he would hardly allowed her to, considering his grumpy and unsociable character (she knew it was to conceal his shyness, _ehehe_ , after all she had been through that phase too).

Reaching her destination, after climbing some stairs and turning in different corridors, she shivered in the chilling cold lingering in that villa's area and she knocked three times on his door: _silence_.

She knocked again: _silence_.

Once again: _silence_.

Mary crossed her arms and breathed deeply to soothe a nervous breakdown; rubbing her nose's bridge with a stressful grimace, she thought: maybe he didn't even come back yet? Stubborn as she was, she tried to call him again.

\- Subaru-kun? Are you in there? - silence again; she sighed and tried one last time before giving up, turning around and getting back to her own bedroom.

\- _Subarucc_...

A hand suddenly slammed the wooden door, cracking it, after having it almost brush her cheek, and made her jump; she got goose bumps, her heart pounding, while a mouth hissed coldly next to her ear:

\- _I'll tear your head off_ if you dare calling me that again. _I don't wanna ever repeat myself_.

The witch nodded, smiling nervously, and tried to turn her head towards him; however she was yanked by the shirt and a second later was pushed into the room, after hearing the door open. Mary braked in time a disastrous fall on the floor and turned indignantly to complain to the albino of his rough handling, but the words died in her throat as his hands pushed her again and her body bumped onto the coffin which was on the floor.

 _A coffin? Seriously?_ , she said to herself, puzzled, muttering about the blow on her back, and stiffened while leaning on her elbows in attempt to painfully lift her chest: Subaru was staring at her in a rather gloomy way and approached with slow steps the girl who felt deeply uneasy at one point.

\- _Subaru-kun_? – she called to him in a whisper, as the vampire placed himself straddling her, the coffin creaking under their weight, and got his face closer to hers; one hand pressed on her shoulder to lay her back down, with arrogance.

\- Subaru-kun, we'll break your cof _AH_! - she shouted as soon as the albino tore her neck's flesh with his teeth, without giving her time to realize that what she had just said could have been very _misleading_. If the night before she had seen the stars, then at that moment she was enjoying the _magnificent_ view of the Universe: the pain was so intense that she couldn't hold back the tears and grit her teeth to suppress her cries of pain which became more and more feeble, replaced soon by sobs.

The vampire was still feeding greedily on the same point (at least her body, recognizing the severity of the injury, was already taking care to replace the lost blood), while clutching possessively her waist with his strong arms, holding her slightly curved back.

\- ... _you're hurting me too much_... - the girl protested when she heard him stop briefly; the albino bit her on the shoulder, ignoring her, and continued his activities with the same voracity, trapping her between his insistent and ever more crushing limbs.

Mary gritted her teeth and opened hersilver eyes, thinking it wouldn't be wise to get him away from he, for otherwise she would have been dragged along with him because of that grip, so she opted for a distraction's attempt: the object that she saw first struck him on the head, barely moving it, and fell bouncing on the floor; Subaru stopped, pulled away and lifted his head slightly so that she couldn't catch a glimpse of it. An eerie silence was followed by a husky laughter that echoed in the witch's ear.

 _Oh oh, this doesn't look fine_ , Mary thought, growing pale as he moved his grinning and _evil_ face upon her startled one, pinning her hands to her sides and straightening his elbows on which he leaned to maintain his balance.

\- Do you think you can stop me with _such nonsense_? _Ha_ , it didn't even hurt! - he hissed to her face, and then penetrate her intensely dark irises with his crimson ones - _You don't mind hanging with my brother when it's my turn, so why are you being so defiant?_ \- he asked in a choked voice, highly annoyed.

\- _Jealous_...? - she retorted without thinking, biting her lips and cursing herself more when his gaze chilled her, having become worrisome.

The vampire flung himself on her mouth, biting her lower lip enough to bleed and sucking the warm scarlet liquid, through which he could feel all the girl's distress who excited him enormously; Mary didn't react immediately, but as she recovered from the shock she realized he loosened his grip and proceeded to throw him away when he left her lip to nibble her ear.

She escaped without wasting time, broke down the door with her powers and ran wildly towards her bedroom, exposing her lungs to serious problems.

\- _Kuso_ 1! – Subaru cursed, throwing a fist against the wall which he was leaning on and making it partially collapse next to his legs, stretched on the floor; groaning, he bent one knee to rest his arm on and put above the same limb his head, suddenly heavy and hot, while his other hand rubbed his lips thoughtfully.

* * *

 **1 "Kuso!": "Sh*t!"**

 **Hello everyone~ :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for reading!**  
 **Love and smile ~**


	26. Chapter 25

_Chapter 25_

When Subaru appeared in Mary's bedroom, grumbling that it was too hot for being the first nights of May, his eyes widened at the sight of a dead body on the bed, laying on its abdomen, and released the T-shirt's edge that he was shaking until then to air out. He approached hesitantly, wondering if he had killed her with all the blood that he had taken the night before, and poked her back with his forefinger, calling her.

 _She didn't reply_.

\- O-Oi, ugly witch, didn't you have a regenerating power?! - he shouted, shaking her by the shoulders.

 _She didn't move_.

Subaru's eye was twitching, his hands were shaking and he felt the strong urge to tear his hair off one by one from distress.

 _If I killed her that bastard will slaughter me alive!_ , he thought, referring to his father, as if he had come for this purpose to verify her health and not because prompted by guiltiness ( _of course_ he would deny it was motivated by remorse). He tried to call her again; he let out a sigh of relief hearing her mumble something unintelligible and sat on the edge of the bed, uttering with slightly rosy cheeks:

\- N-Not that I was worried, eh!

\- _Go to hell_ \- was the muffled retort coming from inside the blankets; the vampire fell silent, before jolting astonished: he had never heard such words coming from the witch's mouth; if he had told Reiji or Laito, they would have certainly laughed at him after staring at him in silence for half an hour.

The girl moved her hands to her shoulders' sides and raised her bust a little; she turned slowly towards him, apparently exhausted. Subaru's eyes widened, he _swallowed_ almost choking on his saliva and suddenly felt more _flushed_.

Mary was sweaty, some locks stuck on her face reddened from the heat, her lips parted in a sullen grimace and eyes teary because of that weather's effect on her; her shirt came unbuttoned during her nap and...

Subaru immediately shifted his eyes to the door, trying to make it look _more interesting_ to him, his skin scarlet as his eyes; the witch was still quite dazed to realize the situation, so she didn't care that much. Rubbing an eye, she sat down and asked with a drowsy voice:

\- Subaru-kun? You all right?

The albino shrugged: that was the question _he_ had to ask _her_ ; did she perhaps forget how he had treated her, the night before? He clenched his fists, trembling with anger, and growled that there was no problem. The girl tilted her head, looking at him puzzled and pursed her lips; in the meanwhile, she was recovering and realized her chest was exposed a little and quickly buttoned her shirt up, feeling her cheeks reddening with embarrassment and hoping that the vampire didn't seen anything ( _as if_!).

\- It's too hot here, where you live - she muttered, pulling out a handkerchief from her jeans' pocket and wiping the sweat from her forehead. The vampire, who still had his back to her, asked her how was the climate where she used to live, adding that in truth he had asked so _by chance and not really because he cared_. Mary ignored the last words and said with a nostalgic smile that it snowed for four or five months in a row, alternating with brief sunny or rainy days, while the rest of the year was balanced between weeks of nice weather or rain, always accompanied by a nice cool breeze.

Subaru murmured that it didn't seem too bad, while leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling: he noticed that there was a painting he had never seen before and shifted his gaze on the girl who got up and sat at her desk, picking up a pencil and a blank sheet.

\- I agree, that weather is _perfect_ for me. _I hate heat_ , I can't concentrate and it makes me _exhausted_ \- she muttered, beginning to scribble something on the paper.

\- _Etto_... did you... paint those up there? - he asked, curious, resting his hands behind him and spreading out his legs. Mary nodded, explaining that she had to bear a two-hour conversation with Reiji to get his _sacred_ consent.

Subaru frowned, puzzled.

\- I think it's strange indeed he accepted.

\- I showed him some of my drawings, and after thinking it through _he gave me his approval_.

- _It was the right thing to do_ \- the albino whispered without being heard: a magnificent and harmonious blend of flowers was on a part of the ceiling, matching the room's colours; the figures of a black swan and a white one were in the middle, with a green butterfly resting among their beaks which were touching tenderly.

 _A butterfly?_ , he said to himself, recalling how Mr Ari had repeatedly called her when they were in his shop.

\- Oi... why is it " _Cho-hime_ "? - he waited for an answer as he continued to linger on the painting's minute details; he felt a nerve throbbing on his forehead after five minutes of waiting and, irritated, he bent his head toward the witch, exclaiming.

\- Oi, _answer_! - he noticed that the girl was still with her hand raised in mid-air, her pencil between her fingers; suddenly she turned to him, but without looking at him: she seemed to be lost in other thoughts and kept her lips tight together. Finally she pointed her eyes in his and cracked a smile; she stood up and approached him.

\- Huh? _HUH_?! What are you…! - the albino began to scream, blushing at her fingers' touch on his forehead, but stopped when Mary laid her index on his lips (causing an exciting shiver down his spine), asking him politely to be quiet and not to speak; she smiled, nervous and at the same time serene, if it was possible to express these opposite feelings simultaneously.

\- Shh, Subaru-kun... close your eyes, please - she whispered, bowing her head and bringing together the silver of her irises with the ruby of the vampire's ones; the teenager saw her hair becoming snow-white and bright, before closing his eyelids, feeling suddenly lighter and relaxed. He felt a strange emotion: he felt like being in a _quiet_ , silent, _cool_ place, and sensed feather-like caresses on his skin. When the witch's fingers left him, he opened his eyes, remaining speechless.

On her hair, on her clothes, on her arms, on her hands, on the bed, on the floor, on the walls, on the room's furniture and around Mary, _everything was illuminated_ by dozens, hundreds, possibly thousands of tiny light-coloured butterflies, most of them _white_ and a very _delicate_ , greenish-water _green_.

\- What... – he murmured; the wonder was so intense that it had cast the words out of his mouth and the light was beaming in his eyes, almost moved by that image; Mary was smiling radiantly, as she lifted her arms on which rested those little affectionate insects, who also adorned her hair.

\- " _Cho-hime_ ": _Princess Butterfly_ – she simply said; the albino swallowed: he knew no words that could do justice to the scene which he was personally witnessing and the witch's white beauty was so pure that only a light pink appeared on his cheeks.

He grabbed the witch's arm, pulling it gently to him, and stared intently into her eyes, _as if to ask her permission_. Mary ironically arched an eyebrow, before blushing when Subaru _kissed her hand like a knight_ , then sank his canines into her mid-forearm; a completely different treatment from what she had received the previous evening. She smiled softly: she knew that _after all that boy had a good heart_.

The butterflies, as if they were jealous, pulled away the vampire's face from the witch's limb and he was quite surprised and confused by that their actions, in particular by their abnormal force (as if they were normal themselves): something flashed through his mind and he looked at the girl once again.

\- These butterflies... _it is not telekinesis_ , _they are responsible_! – he exclaimed; Mary nodded and Subaru remained silent, keeping on staring at her dumbfounded; at last he asked:

\- What are you, _actually_?

Mary smiled; sadly.

\- I... - she felt silent; the vampire didn't insist and returned to pay his attention on those little creatures that were gradually taking a liking to him, kissing his face with their own wings.

 _I should not exist._

* * *

Subaru, after the butterflies became invisible and impalpable again, winced with embarrassment when the witch sat down beside him, and frowned when she asked him if he wanted to talk about their family, to illuminate her. Mary explained that she didn't feel like asking the triplets, considering their resentment against their mother; Reiji wouldn't have appreciated her curiosity and Shuu...

 _She certainly wouldn't have confessed to the albino about her fear of fainting in the presence of the fair-haired and ocean-eyed handsome vampire..._

After a few seconds of hesitation, he muttered that Reiji was jealous of Shuu because, when they were young, it looked like their mother Beatrix had eyes only for the oldest and was rather negligent towards the second-born, which is why he had grown jealous of his brother and he had his mother killed by a vampire hunter (Mary's eyes widened, making a link between the Miriandola Bluetta and the spectacled vampire); he didn't want to talk about Cordelia that much, just saying she was their father's first wife and, wanting at all costs his attentions, she would continuously pressure the other two wives and force Ayato to study in order to be the best and beat Beatrix's children, who she was envious of; as regards to his own mother...

\- If you don't feel like talking you don't have to tell me - Mary said, serious, noticing his frustrated expression; Subaru shook his head.

\- My mother is locked up in a tower and suffers from mental instability... let's say that that asshole married her without her consent.

\- _Um_... that _is not called marriage_ , it would be...

The albino shot her a dirty look and she fell silent, shivering; he sighed, and the silence was dominant for about ten minutes.

Subaru muttered:

\- What about you? We know little or nothing about you...

Mary was silent, thoughtful.

\- I have a blind twin brother, a mother obsessed with good manners, but not to Reiji's level, and a father who's always sulking.

\- A twin? Does he regenerate, too? - the girl nodded; the albino, realizing she was a little uncomfortable, asked if she had ever faced traumatic episodes because of her family ( _to move to happier topics, congratulations, you genius...);_ she gave him a sad look.

\- If you mean problems such as those you have faced, no. Or at least not because of my family ... - she paused - perhaps it was more my fault, to be honest. I wanted to defend those close to me, but remorse showed up anyway.

The vampire stared at her a bit confused, a little understanding.

\- What did you do, ugly witch? – he questioned, using a sarcastic tone to try and revive the atmosphere which had become _too depressing_ for his taste.

\- _I killed my best friend's parents_.

 _And…_

Subaru was silent, eyes wide-open; before he could ask anything else or move, Mary added:

\- I had to, otherwise they would have killed my friend Claire – she looked like she was talking that more to herself than to him; her eyes were absorbed in that event's reminiscence, and the albino thought that at least his family wasn't the only difficult one.

Slightly upset by the turn that conversation had taken, he got up, muttering a greeting, and walked to the door to leave ( _what about teleporting, huh, when you can?_ ). He stopped and changed his mind: he got back and bent to grab the witch, who looked at him puzzled, making her stand in front of him, and squeezed her wrists; he grinned mischievously, while Mary turned pale and swallowed, smiling nervously.

\- Don't think we're done... _I won't let you go to sleep in peace_ \- he whispered with a hoarse and provocative voice to her ear, then biting it.

* * *

 **Hi there~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think about it~**  
 **(Advice about Grammar or whatever is very welcomed, since English isn't my first language)**


	27. Chapter 26

_Chapter 26_

Subaru bit on her ear, on her shoulder, on both her arms and her belly, after making her sit on the bed's edge and resting his knees on the floor, messing her up. Her panic was soon replaced by indignation when the vampire had asked, licking his lips, _how much she weighed to have such a soft belly_.

He was thrown out of the room with a hand-shaped red spot printed on the face, after being looked at sullenly by the witch with a nerve throbbing visibly on her forehead.

Mary could finally lie down in bed, dressed in her very refined and light pajamas, and wrapping herself in the turquoise blanket she wished for decent dreams, no nightmares about her past, cooler weather, and, in vain, more peaceful awakenings.

 _In vain, indeed_.

* * *

Reiji was pouring his _precious_ tea in one of his most _precious_ cups made of _precious_ porcelain, to inaugurate the evening which had started perfectly: he had woken up from his sleep in a good mood, _unusually_ , and felt more at ease than ever.

 _Eh, it's easy to say, naive vampire_.

As soon as he placed the cup's edge on his relaxed lips, a scream startled him (actually the whole Sakamaki's villa shook violently) and he saw his beloved object fall from his fingers and shattered tragically on his studio's floor, under his devastated face as that of Munch's _The Scream_.

He clenched his fists, took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes, pointing them toward the ceiling, where there was the room from which that _vaguely_ feminine voice had come. He soon teleported in the very place and was ready, whip in hand, to scold the witch, when the scene before his eyes made him open his mouth, speechless, with twitching wide eyes.

Laito was in front of the bedroom's door with a finger resting on his pouting lips, like a spoiled child whose toy had been taken away by another peer; Mary was on the ground two meters away from him, with raised knees and hands placed on the floor behind her: she was staring at the bed, shocked, grimacing in disbelief and embarrassment. What had happened was that, while waking up, she had felt a presence beside her lying on the mattress: she had obviously thought about Laito and sat to tell him off; instead her face, looking at the intruder, had become first white, then blue, and finally red.

And in the bed was Sleeping Vampire Shuu, snoring blissfully unaware of everything; the sight of his brother, reason of all that mess, didn't pleased Reiji's nerves, which _snapped like wooden pieces_ : his whip's eerie smack made Laito swallow and he quickly picked his still confused witch up and teleported elsewhere, leaving the blond to his sad (and bloody) fate.

\- Reiji, Shuu~ _Have fun_!

He appeared in his bedroom and laid his dazed girl on the bed, sitting down beside her and toying with the locks that had escaped from the braid in which she had collected her long ebony hair.

\- But why. _With all the pranks_ I did... - Mary murmured, placing a finger on her chin and thinking; the vampire chuckled, rubbing his cheek against her neck.

\- Eeeh, Micchan~ I didn't think you were the type to tease the one you're attracted to~! - he said, embracing her with his arms; the girl slipped away from his hug, slightly blushing and, pursing her lips, she muttered:

\- It's not like I'm attracted to him... I mean, he has wonderful blue eyes, but he's too lazy for me.

\- Micchan! – the young man exclaimed, dissatisfied - We already have Subaru as a _Tsundere_! I like the bold and straightforward you, _fufu_ ~ - he stated, stroking her chin with his fingers and giving her a sensual look. Mary, who had arched a bored eyebrow by then, was sure she had heard a familiar male voice yelling at him to go to hell, but probably it had been just her imagination; she didn't think the albino could have heard him _even_ from his room, that was on the other side of the villa.

\- By the way, _this blouse is so sexy_ \- Laito smirked with his rosy cheeks from excitement, placing a finger on the girl's clavicle and gazing at her pajamas; the witch realized she hadn't changed yet and grabbed his wrist to move it away from her, warning him with a sinister look to stop staring. Laito grinned and jumped on her with a feline movement.

* * *

\- Oi, Laito, you're the second person I see with a slap still imprinted on his face - Ayato chuckled and Kanato nodded in agreement, both of them with a sardonic grin addressed to the older triplet. The latter chuckled, explaining that some witches were rather violent even by just tickling them (the very witch chuckled, remembering his fingers pinching jokingly her hips); then, puzzled, he asked who was the first one they had seen with a red slap on the cheek.

The younger triplet was about to reply when Subaru suddenly grunted that he was in a bad mood that day; Mary suppressed a snort to that evident reaction contrived in order not to be exposed.

\- _Go to hell_ , Subaru! What, are you ashamed to admit a woman slapped you?! – " _Ore_ - _sama_ my ass", as the albino called him, said with a provocative smile; the youngest brother snapped aggressively:

\- _HAH_?! If you want to die say it quickly, _I'll gladly kill you_.

\- As if you could, _gaki_ _1_!

\- _Ga_ - _Gaki_?! _YOU BASTARD_!

\- _SILENCE_! – Reiji's voice thundered inside the limo that was taking them to school; he adjusted his glasses as he tried to suppress an nervous breakdown, and frowned at them.

\- Postpone your fights to another time and in another place, _please_! - he asserted sternly, before pulling out an exasperated sigh; he turned to Mary holding out two envelopes.

\- I didn't have time to hand you these letters this evening, due to _that_ _accident_ – he stressed glaring at Shuu who was sleeping with an annoyed face – The black one is from Mr Ari, who also wrote to me.

The witch grabbed them under the other brothers' curious eyes, while Laito leaned from her shoulder to spy on the content; she dismissed her teacher's one, which contained a rectangular piece of paper with a sequence of numbers and letters written on it, which only she could decipher. She clicked her tongue, upset, and crumpled the paper in her hand, before moving on to other envelope, which was green and with a smiley face on the back: she recognized who the sender was right away and smiled ironically.

\- _Theo_... – she murmured melancholy, opening it.

 _CHO-HIMEEEEE!_ XD _I'm glad to know you're still alive!_ ω

 _Where have you been?! Do you realize that our life_ _without you is a mess_ _?_ D: _In short, no one but Anna-chan knows how to stand up to Morten-senpai! If you could see how his mood has degenerated, he often vents his irritation on me!_ ÇoÇ _And your motorbike misses you_ _so much_ _, sigh_ :°c _. Let's not talk about Claire, she's a torture... I have said nothing about you, otherwise she would be already there to snuggle you._

 _Just me and Markucchi know about you and the problem you have there with the vampires (amaaazing, vampires_ :D _You know, a family of vampires moved here a few months ago? I got to know her daughter, Martha,_ _she's really cute and nice_ _, although she's frightening when she laughs while seeing horror movies..._ ÒvO? _). I'll let you know the news every three days, so get ready to welcome the pigeon in your bedroom... prepare yourself wearing an armour, you know he has the habit of gliding with his beak dangerously leaning forward._

 _So far, in that area, there were no missing demons' reports and, indeed, they haven't been attacked recently. As for the hunters out there... there are some in the area, but none have been spotted in your town;_ _I ask you to be careful in any case_ _, since you..._

Mary slammed her hand against Laito's eyes in time to prevent him from going on with the reading and went on while he grumbled capriciously. She crumbled that letter too and slipped it into her pocket, turning toward Reiji who was staring at her, waiting for updates and Mary communicated the involved details.

\- He's probably having a hard time catching some demon – he assumed, referring to the hunter hired by his uncle - I guess they're very strong? – he asked, interested in the subject, while Ayato exclaimed that he was definitely better than them all.

The triplets' mother was the daughter of a demon and a vampire, but she had inherited the race from the maternal side, so he had never really been able to observe closely how demons were, he had only learnt something thanks to some books; and it was better this way, imagine what he could have done if Cordelia had been born as a demon...

The witch fell silent in thought and then nodded, explaining that they had different skills, especially related to the manipulation of their own bodies; Subaru blinked and peered at her intently, reflecting on what she had said, but he didn't have time to express his doubts as they had just arrived at the school gates.

* * *

While Mary was following Reiji to their class, she felt a familiar presence behind her and froze in a cold sweat; a hand rested on her shoulder, the other one touched her side and lips brushed her ear, open in a grin. The clean scent pleasantly inebriated her nostrils, while a calm, deep and ironic voice whispered:

\- _I'll be waiting in the music room during break_.

Mary suddenly spun around, brushing her neck where she was sure that something wet had touched her skin, making her blush with embarrassment; the vampire was gone and she only thought: _I'm dead, sigh_.

* * *

 **1 "gaki" means "brat", "child", if I'm not mistaken.**

 **Hi there~ Sorry for updating so late, I was quite busy looking for my soul :D**  
 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you soon~**

 **P.S. I really appreciate the reviews received so far ;D**


	28. Chapter 27

_Chapter 27_

Mary knocked on the door of the music room, as tense as the fifteen-year-old herself had tried for the first time to drive that fantastic motorbike built by Theo; the difference was that that had been an euphoric tension, this one was _distressing_. She didn't hear the slightest movement nor murmur and, remembering who it was, she slammed a hand against her forehead: _obviously Shuu wasn't going to answer, being lazy as he was_! It was already too much that he had informed her to meet him...

Some students stopped to warn her that probably the room was occupied by his asocial owner, Shuu Sakamaki, and advised her to give up entering; the witch raised an eyebrow, wondering since when the vampires illegally owned the school's rooms, and, surprising those high school students who had warned her, she opened the door and disappeared inside.

She looked around, pursing her lips, and searched for a blonde hair in vain at first glance; she walked among the desks and stood on her tiptoes to see if he was behind some of them; she thought she saw a body lying on one of the benches, his head resting on his arms, whose elbows stuck out into the void. She headed in that direction and sat on the desk in front, leaning forward with the torso: Shuu was sleeping, apparently, with a score on his chest on the left and earphones attached with superglue to his ears; he was listening to a familiar melody, perhaps one of Vivaldi's _Seasons_?

She watched the young man's face, while her cheeks took on a slight pinkish shade, taking note that he had very soft and fine features, perfect to portray. _Ah no_ , although she had a good eye, imagination and talent, people's portraits _weren't her cup of tea at all_ ; she pursued her lips, frowning: she would have liked trying to draw him, but probably she would have achieved a hilarious caricature and, if seen by the very person, _it would have certainly cost her death_.

A sharp sound distracted her from those thoughts, making her turn the other way, and she realized that the piano's lid was closed.

 _But it wasn't...?_ , she thought, tilting her head curious; suddenly she felt a tug on her wrists and was pulled backward. An arm placed her in line with the bench and Mary blushed violently: she was in Shu's arms, her pelvis between his thighs, his right hand gripping her right arm, while the other one moved lazily from her knees to his neck, massaging it with an annoyed sigh. He ruffled his hair falling over his forehead and after yawning he opened his eyes, pointing them out to her, bored.

 _It was you who invited me_ , the witch mentally protested to that expression.

\- You do like to annoy people, _he_? – he asked her, blowing on her cheek; he snickered and she lost two beats - _Now it's my turn_...

Mary could have sworn that _hoarse_ voice had pierced her spine with a shudder of fear mixed with excitement, if she hadn't considered her conscience screaming: _RUN, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! HE'S GONNA DEVOUR YOU ALIVE!_

Shuu brought his lips to her neck, touching the portion just below her earlobe and bit on it eagerly; Mary's eyes widened and she became a piece of ice, with a shocked expression on her face.

 _And the Best Fangs Award goes to Shuu Sakamaki! (Applause)_

Sharp (maybe he tasked a knife grinder with sharpening them?) and hungry, the vampire's teeth sank into her skin like the Titanic in the ocean; the girl grabbed his shirt with her left hand, shaking a bit her arm from his iron hold, and gritted her teeth, suppressing the groans of pain and one of surprise when she felt his left arm wrapping around her waist, increasing the grip.

She clearly heard him exhaling animalistic sounds of appreciation and voracity, while placing her so that her chest was against his and getting more comfortable to move his fangs on her clavicle; the bites near the bones were insufferable experiences and Mary leaned on him instinctively, clutching his beige cardigan's hem.

She heard him chuckle on her skin:

\- _He!_ , do you want more attention, _naughty girl_? Laito is having a bad influence on you...

\- I-It was just a reflex, _sloth_ \- she said, refraining from giving him a head-butt, outraged by his words; she winced at hearing his hand slowly taking off her jacket; he stopped annoyed.

\- Take it off, I don't want to... and stop calling me that way, _woman_ , _you're_ _irritating_ \- he whispered in a cold voice, looking up at her face red with embarrassment. The girl glared at him and refused; Shuu frowned and intensified the grip, hurting her a little.

\- It wasn't a request, _it was an order_. And don't play your usual tricks... you wouldn't improve your situation... – he muttered on her chin, rubbing it with his tongue and returning to feed greedily on the yearned scarlet liquid from the neck; Mary tilted her head back, looking at the ceiling and getting lost in its whiteness for distraction: it was one of those moments when she wondered why she had agreed to become a blood bag to feed Sakamaki brothers.

 _Hey, those spots of mo-,_ she stopped thinking as she stiffened, and not because Shuu, after slowly pulling her uniform jacket off, was moving his canines _a little too much lower_ than necessary: he had groped her bottom. Her cheeks heated and her eyes were twitching again, accentuated when the vampire chuckled, his voice persuasive and mocking:

\- What a boring woman, _hahaha_... react a bit more... _entertain me_ \- he lowered his voice an octave to the last word, making her ears burn of shame and torturing her poor little heart.

Mary turned away abruptly, ignoring the piece of skin that inevitably ripped since Shuu's fangs were still there; the vampire, surprised by the gesture, stared at that ugly wound from which flowed that aromatic blood that intoxicated him and in the meantime it was already beginning to heal rapidly: though he wasn't that passionate about that, he was fascinated by that so effective regenerating power, so precise in rebuilding the damaged tissue.

He fell deep in thought, ignoring the witch who was stuttering not to touch her beyond the allowed restrictions, feeling so embarrassed in formulating a similar phrase that she couldn't speak; after a few tens of seconds Shuu, staring at the now-scarred skin, questioned, interrupting her.

\- Don't you feel pain?

Mary opened her mouth, then closed it immediately; she frowned and muttered:

\- _Of course it hurts_! The pain disappears only after the damage has been completely restored.

\- Would you regenerate... if you were to find yourself among _flames_? - was the next question by the vampire, who then looked up toward her as he heard no answer: she was staring at him with sad and discouraged eyes.

\- _The fire would kill me, if I didn't escape on time_. I'm a witch, did you forget? - she declared bitterly. Shuu's eyes widened briefly and then back to his usual expressionless look, and he sank his face in her chest, making her blush again.

\- Sh-Shuu-san...

The vampire had fallen asleep; Mary looked at him intensely, recalling that terrified and sad shadow she had glimpsed in his eyes' ocean when uttering the word "fire." She embraced the young man, closing her eyes.

 _Shuu-san, what happened to you?_

The blond didn't refuse that gesture, but deep down he warned himself that he shouldn't interact any more with that girl unless for feeding; _he shouldn't become fond of her_ : _she could disappear at any moment_...

* * *

Mary looked at her chest on the bathroom mirror, speechless and indignant: that _perverted bastard sloth_ had left reddish marks everywhere, between the white scars of his canines. What irritated her the most, was his attitude once out of the music classroom _: as if nothing had happened_ , he had _ignored_ and treated her _coldly_ , without even answering to her greeting!

 _There are already Subarucchi and Kanato with mood swings, don't you do the same too!_ , she thought, unbuttoning her shirt in a hurry and beginning to undress from the other garments to relax in a nice hot shower.

She heard a knock on the door; as soon as she heard Laito's voice, the witch quickly zipped back on herjeans and grabbed her blouse to cover her chest.

\- _Micchan_ ~ May I join yo-

\- _NO_! - was the clear, dry answer. Strangely she heard nothing more coming outdoor, then she shrugged and finished undressing quietly.

She let the water shower her from head to toe after having shampooed and got herself well soapy and remained for several minutes under the running water to drive away in the same way all the negative thoughts which were unpleasantly trying to conquer her mind.

Suddenly a noise made her jump and turn slowly: _Laito was playing merrily with her hairbrush_ ; she opened her twitching eyes wide again and her face got to know all the existing colours' shades, as the vampire turned his gaze towards her (thank God that the shower door allowed one to see from the inside but not from the outside) with a mischievous smile and... _aware that she had caught him in the act_?!

\- Micchan~ _Don't be afraid_ \- he whispered in her ear with a sensual and deep voice, appearing unexpectedly behind her and hugging her, after having covered her with his own shirt (Gallant Laito? No, just perverted...).

 _I'm gonna faint_ , Mary thought, redder than a baked strawberry because of the sun, _as if, nope, I'm gonna hit him, otherwise goodbye youthful innocence_.

And then Laito was waiting for her with a smirk and patting the umpteenth slapped cheek, sitting with crossed legs and his nose attached to the door and so away from Mary, who was dressing in irritation. The witch wondered if her friend was developing masochistic tendencies and in the meantime told him she was finished and proceeded to comb her hair, observed by his curious eye.

\- Micchan, it's so long, doesn't it bother you? - even though it was Mary, actually Laito had in mind _another_ person with much longer hair... and purple...

Mary glanced at her hair, covering her whole back, and shook her head, denying; she fell silent, thoughtful, while a pleasant and melancholy memory made its way into her head.

* * *

It had been the fifth day since Mary had agreed to be his girlfriend; they had decided to hang around the city shops, stopping in front of the hairdresser and seeing some photos on display of hairstyles and colours, trends of that time.

\- Mh, my mother, in her last letter, wrote that she wants to find me with _shorter_ hair when she comes over for her monthly visit - Ryan grumbled, burying his nose in the scarf, sulking.

\- You'd look good with a few strands of different shades of purple – she had suggested on the contrary, without even being inspired by one of the exhibited pictures: green, red and canary blond were the only fashionable colours then.

Ryan had widened his eyes and turned towards her, staring at her intently until she was blushing and had looked away. He laughed heartily, surrounding her shoulders with his arm and kissed her hair affectionately.

\- Shall we go?

Inside, Mary had sit next to him, watching him as an attendant shampooed his hair and started to collect a few strands here and there; a colleague had approached her, asking if she could do something for her.

The witch had been speechless, thoughtful, under her boyfriend's curious eyes: she had often cut her hair every time it got over her shoulders for years; at that time her locks were reaching her armpits and, taken one in her hand, she was observing it uncertain.

\- I'd let it grow, Mary-chan - Ryan had advised her sweetly, looking at her tenderly. The girl had blinked with surprise, then blushed shyly and weakly informed the employee that she didn't need anything.

Ryan, during the treatment, had exchanged meaningful looks with Mary, smiling.

* * *

After letting the vampire to dry her hair, since he himself had offered to do it (to take advantage of it and teasingly caress her neck and back), Mary picked up her hair in that complicated hairstyle under Laito's puzzled and incredulous eyes, and he wondered if they weren't affected by gravity's laws.

They went out, chatting about school and Reiji who was scolding her recently for being late, and the boy chuckled, referring to Shuu's intense smell that was left on her although she had washed and changed her clothes; he asked her if she had _fun_ with his older brother by chance. Mary blushed, stammering to him not to be silly.

\- _Heee_ , you're not attracted to him, _fufu_ ~?

\- _Attracted to the sloth_? - she murmured, taking on an expression of disgust; he gave her an insistent and unconvinced gaze - Ok, he's got bewitching eyes... – he hit her with his elbow on her side, grinning like an idiot - _Argh_ , yes, I confess, _I'm infatuated with Shuu-san_!

Finally she snapped, embarrassed; then she opened her eyes wide and tensed.

The vampire in question, with all the places out of that immense mansion, had decided to step in at that moment and stopped to stare at her blankly. Laito repeatedly shifted his gaze from one to the other, petrified, as time passed quietly.

And Shuu walked away without saying anything, closing his eyes and ignoring them.

\- Oh, Micchan, _fufu_ ~ I'm sor... Mi- _Micchan_?

Mary had slumped to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

 **I update a bit late, I'm sorry... I still hope you enjoyed this chapter, since I remember that this and the next ones involving ShuuxMary were the most embarassing difficult to write... °v°**  
 **See you~**


	29. Chapter 28

_Chapter 28_

Laito didn't know which way to turn anymore; Reiji would have shown up at any moment and he was still there, attempting to cheer up his Micchan! He would have never believed that a little sentimental disappointment could dishearten her so much that she refused to abandon the heartening sheets, which were surrounding her in the midst of a sea of handkerchiefs filled with tears.

The witch had also, at some point, recalled that she had experienced a similar moment: of course!, because of Ryan; and " _Boom!_ ", this he had done nothing but worsen her mood, burying it kilometres and kilometres below the ground.

The vampire was lying beside her in the bed, face down, with his elbows sinking in the mattress and his sullen face resting on his hands; he was staring at that unrecognizable wrapping since the night before and two dark circles had surrounded his eyes: if at first it had been fun listening to the girl's depressing sobs, after about twelve hours he had changed his mind.

\- Micchan, come out... – he muttered bored.

He had tried everything: from his seductive techniques to hilarious stories that dealt with his brothers; he had proposed her lots and lots of weekly puzzles, confessed that he screamed like a little girl when his feet's sole was tickled; he had begged her to prepare some _macarons_ ; he had laid on top of her waiting for complains and slaps and telling her obscene episodes of his life in detail; at last he had revealed that he was terrified of insects and that Subaru had a fan club of girls drooling after him, unaware of it.

None of this had worked.

He exasperatedly sighed, sitting cross-legged and poked her with his finger, uttering her nickname several times; what was he going to say to Reiji, when he would come to warn them to reach immediately the limousine?

\- _Oi_ , _ugly witch_ , _hentai_! - Subaru exclaimed, suddenly appearing - Reiji is waiting for you and you know how _irrita_... _ting_... – he tilted his head looking dumbfounded at the shapeless form on the bed that was probably the girl, and he glanced at his brother, pointing at her with a finger and taking on a dazed expression; Laito shrugged and explained what had happened the night before, chuckling that his witch was suffering from emotional trauma.

The albino muttered that he understood, inexplicably sulking, and sat on the bed's edge; he glowered at that unidentifiable multi-layered matter, wondering what she found special about his big brother: between his innate laziness and the way he had ignored her he didn't even know which was worse.

If _he_ had been the one being unintentionally confessed to, he would have...

 _Chotto matte_ 1 _. What the fuck am I thinking_ , Subaru felt deeply embarrassed and shocked at the same time that he was imagining himself as a possible love interest for the ugly witch. Was he...?

 _NO! That can't be!,_ he put his hands in his hair, bending his torso down, _no no no! I have to keep cool and calm, cool and calm, cool and calmary... Oh shit!_

And while awareness finally threw itself like a whale on the extremely shocked albino's body, Laito stared at him with a raised eyebrow and a face that said, " _Seriously_? You noticed only now, after kissing her twice?", and then chuckled diabolically, thinking that fun was guaranteed.

Suddenly he remembered the curious reaction that the girl had had while reading the letter sent by Mr Ari, the night before as they had headed to school: she had seemed rather annoyed, almost angry. He tried to bring out this topic, certainly it couldn't hurt that much.

\- _Ne_ , Micchan~ What did Ari-san wrote you?

Laito had guessed right: after a few minutes, the witch finally lifted her torso, sitting on her knees, and the sheets slid off her; she returned laying on the mattress again, muttering complaints, after being embraced by an euphoric vampire, before the other's annoyed eyes.

* * *

 _Cho-hime, remember that bitterness and remorse will not get you anywhere, if you keep on listening to them only and not the rest of your heart too, which otherwise will crumble because of the pain._

 _You are a special creature, not a freak show._

 _Distinguish these two figures and you'll have peace._

 _It all depends on you._

Ari-sensei, after that unpleasant event happened about a year before, had been the closest person to her among her family members, friends and acquaintances; her twin was a special case and what they had said when confiding with each other through mere knowing looks was a secret.

Her teacher had spoken to her several times, during those three days she had spent in order to prepare and leave her birthplace; he had warned her that keeping on dwelling on the past would have _disheartened_ her too much; he had recommended her not to think about all the negative things, from the lightest to the most dramatic, otherwise they would have _destroyed_ her; he had _encouraged_ her to go on her own path.

However, his last suggestion wasn't much wiser, and he had noticed late: since she had begun to look around everywhere out of curiosity, Mary had become aware that things were a little different around her than the others, she had realized she saw her surroundings in a different way. Something had made her recognize that maybe she shouldn't have existed; or rather, that she should have looked for a place where to belong in the future, where she could live with her twin without perceiving their own and others' distress.

Mary eas reflecting intensely, quietly sitting between Laito, who cheerfully leaned his head on her shoulder, and Subaru, who was watching outside from small crack left by the lowered window. Ayato was arguing with Kanato, the latter irritated because his brother had confiscated his cuddle-bear; Reiji was reading a book, sometimes glaring at the two noisy twins or gazing questioningly at the witch, unaware of him and also of Shuu, who was staring at her secretly with half-closed eyes.

The blond hadn't take his eyes off her since she had entered the vehicle: her eyes were red, swollen and surrounded by bags of tiredness; her lips were pale, as if she had press them tightly for hours to stifle her sobs, and her hair wasn't perfectly combed around her face, and her hairstyle seemed more messy than usual. The only thing that was likely to make him snicker in front of everyone without a valid reason was the girl's nose: it was red and shiny as it could only have been during winter. Seeing he had upset her with his cold attitude didn't make him feel guilty at all: it _excited_ him; he suppressed the urge to give her a satisfied grin and closed his eyes to forget about it.

To hell with his intentions to push her away: she _lured_ him too much, that witch... and basically he had two more days, it could do no harm, right? It was just two days!

 _Delusional._

* * *

Once back from school, with Subaru chasing everywhere after Laito who had for the umpteenth time spread his latest test's prints throughout the whole school (and which had become his fans' new object of veneration), the six brothers realized that there was something wrong within the mansion; Mary had also perceived a negative vibration coming from a foreign presence who was hanging around with another individual, who she acknowledged being a vampire, probably Richter.

Those vibrations seemed _very familiar_...

\- Micchan~ You better hide yourself in your room and stay there for a while – Laito whispered to her, concealing his gradually dropping mood and distracting her from her thoughts; Mary nodded, her eyebrows furrowed darkly, and walked toward her room, taking a look at each of them: they did the same, retiring to their rooms, not eager to meet up with their uncle and his new friend.

Once she had shut herself up in her bedroom, she sighed, and decided to devote herself quietly to draw something or even finish the painting on the ceiling; she wore a red short-sleeved blouse and a pair of white light jeans; then she approached her desk, looking at a box of coloured ink vials. Suddenly she stiffened and turned to her bed: Shuu was resting there comfortably with his hands behind his head.

How was she going to behave after all that had happened? Mary recalled her confession, blushing furiously, and she heard him chuckle: he was watching her with an open eye, sneering.

 _Making fun of me, you perverted sloth bastard?_ , the witch thought annoyed, with a nerve throbbing on her forehead, as she crossed her arms and took on an impassive appearance.

\- I know you're planning _to join me_ , _you naughty girl_ \- Shuu said, grinning mockingly and tapping the sheets with his hand; the girl sat down at the desk and slammed her head against the wooden surface, deeply embarrassed, earning an ironic look and a chuckle from him.

She began sketching, ignoring him, intensely stared at by the vampire who, bored, after several minutes, ordered:

\- Oi, _onna_ 2, come here... you're here to feed us with your blood, after all?

Mary sighed and reluctantly got up and headed towards her bed, sitting on its edge with a sullen face turned to him; she hoped he wasn't going to bite her by making her lie down beside him on the mattress: _her poor heart wouldn't have handle it_.

The vampire gazed at her expressionless, moving on his side, and approached her hips before her wary eyes, confused as he lifted her blouse's hem: she tensed when the blond sank his teeth into her side's tender flesh.

\- Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh... – she stammered.

\- _Shut up_ \- he mumbled, hungrily sucking her blood; Mary shifted her gaze elsewhere, upset, crossing her arms to avoid brushing that honey hair which was tickling her thigh; she shuddered when she felt him embrace her waist.

Suddenly the young man grabbed her left arm and with a quick movement he tugged he against his chest, after sitting himself on the mattress; Mary found herself again between his legs, and moved her hands on his wrists, and he had twisted his limbs around her, trapping her in his grip. He sniffed her hair, breathing in deeply, causing her to lose a lot of beats, and rushed himself at the back of her neck, piercing it vehemently.

\- _He_ , I didn't think you'd cry the whole day _because of me_... _am I exciting you_ , woman? - he whispered in her ear pausing briefly, in a low, ironic voice. Mary blinked, embarrassed and felt a chill down her spine, pointing her eyes wherever they couldn't see those lazy legs stretched out on the mattress, or those strong arms on her abdomen... _where was heading down to, that hand_?

\- _Shuu-san_! – she scolded him aloud, clutching his hand which had touched her thigh.

\- Agh... _Urusai_... You're a nuisance, _woman_. Tch, I don't get how that guy put up with you for two weeks... – he muttered and then laughed.

\- Which gu... - she was talking back, before recording the rest of the sentence and looking at him puzzled - _You were awake_?!

The vampire growled to lower her voice before confirming her question, as he moved his arms around her shoulders and buried his head in the crook between her neck and right shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the soft skin; the witch frowned, then blushed and finally turned blue by realizing his cruel snipe.

Shuu grinned and bit, uttering verses of greed and gasping; he moved a limb on her abdomen, holding her closer to him; meanwhile Mary, embarrassed by the boy's reactions, wondered what serious issues caused him to have mood swings. Oh, yes; Subarucchi had told her of her childhood ...

A few minutes later the young man broke away and his body slumped over her like a dead weight, his chest against her back and his head resting on her right shoulder.

- _Zzz_...

\- _Eh_...? - the witch stared at him with a twitch in her right eye and, verifying that he had really fallen asleep in a similar situation, she looked at him annoyed and a nerve throbbed painfully on her temple.

\- _ARGH_!

Mary had given him a head-butt.

\- _Oi_! What…? - Shuu mumbled, rubbing his head and throwing a cold and aching look at her.

 _What do you have in your head? Are you made of lead?_ , he thought, considering how painful that blow had been even for him, a vampire!

\- At the nursery school they used to call me _Thick Head_ \- said Mary, her legs and arms crossed, with a straight face and a proud twinkle in her eyes.

 _Thick…?_

\- _Pffft_... _ahahaha_ – the blond began to snicker, lowering his head and placing a hand on his forehead, and kept on laughing not too much loudly. The witch tilted her head to the side, staring at him puzzled, and blushed to his clear laugh: what did she say that was so funny?

The young man stopped laughing and breathed deeply, before letting himself fall back on the mattress, dozing off.

 _That's my bed, you jerk..._ , she thought absently, sighing in exasperation and about to return to draw: before she could just get up and get to her feet, she was pulled again by the arm and found herself laying close to Shuu, who was embracing her as if she were a pillow, and she felt his regular and moist breathing on her hair.

 _Another sleepless day is coming, if he falls asleep..._

Mary sighed again, exasperated, and with a hand she gave some gentle (?) pats on his, which was resting on her abdomen (was it just her feeling or were all of them "favouring" her soft belly?); Shuu opened his eyes, then closed them immediately and tightened his grip on her even more, making her jump with a slight squeak.

* * *

 **1 "Wait a moment/minute" or something**

 **2 "Woman"**

 **I'm very sorry for updating so late! I started the nursing course and I'm like busy all day ^ I'm free only on Saturday and Sunday; I still hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you asap~**


	30. Chapter 29

_Chapter 29_

Mary had finished in just two weeks the supply of books she had bought in order not to give up her passion of reading; the thing had upset her so much that she hadn't hesitated to ask Reiji what kind of books they had in the villa's library, however she had given up slapping his face when he had replied:

\- Give it a look, no? - He seemed to be in a bad mood and he _wasn't_ to blame: his accidental meeting with his uncle occurred after school and the revolting smell of his brother coming from the witch surely weren't to his liking.

 _Susceptible_ , the girl remarked acidly in her mind, as she walked briskly toward the room; as soon as you stepped in, the sweet scent of paper stroked her nostrils and her eyes _glowed_ like a lot of stars in two crystal balls, embracing all those shelves full of books. Her serene smile painted on her lips disappeared in a few seconds, replaced by a bored grimace: the fragrance of clean clothes pinched her nose and without a shadow of doubt she deduced Shuu was present; _maybe Subarucchi wasn't entirely wrong about his brothers being everywhere_...

Carefully she slipped among the furniture, trying to ignore the possible sighting of a blonde head; she took a step back to look up and focus better on books placed at high points, being eye-catching with their ancient and dusty appearance (movies teach that they are the ones getting you in trouble bringing you adventures), then suddenly she froze: a nagging feeling pervaded her back and she felt a chest pressing against it, while an arm was raised beside her head to put a book back to its empty place. Rather than telling him that she had developed a sense of discomfort towards people behind her, Mary glanced at the title of that tome.

\- _Silvae Carmina_? "Songs of the woods"? - she said, confused; Shuu shot her a curious look, bowing his head in order to align their eyes.

\- Do you know Latin? - he asked, stifling a yawn.

\- I wanted to study it, so... I thought you were interested only in classical music, Shuu-san?

\- Hm - he muttered, moving away and grabbing a book from a shelf – It contains songs that were accompanied by the music of satyrs and nymphs... That book - hefinally yawned, sitting at a table nearby, reached by the girl - was written by a woman, including musical scores that match those lyrics. It's an one-of-kind book...

\- In fact it was written by a witch. Most of these books are either jealously cherished by their own authors, and from their families for generations, or given to people they trust.

\- _He_ , if you want to think _that man_ as a trusting person – he grinned ironically, referring to his father; he blinked and looked up to her face, sitting in front of him with a book with a worn out and unreadable cover.

\- _It was written by a witch_? – he repeated questioningly, somewhat surprised; she nodded, taking a look at the index and leafing through the yellowed pages hurriedly to find what fascinated her. He thought he saw some grotesque drawings and handwritten notes, faded by time, but ignored them and went back reading his volume.

They silently read, without bothering each other; nevertheless, she was tring to hold back from blushing and he was refraining from pouncing on her, excited by the smell of her blood mixed to the paper's one. Shuu stared at her dark chocolate eyes absorbed in reading, and her ebony hair tied up in the most bizarre way he had ever seen; he looked at her chest rising and falling at her breath's pace and her fingers fiddling with a few strands of her shorter hair, sometimes brushing her neck when frowning, probably while reading something that made her puzzled. And when his gaze lingered on her rosy lips, he couldn't help but snicker at the memory of the kisses she had received unintentionally _but well enjoyed_ by Subaru.

Yet something deep was pricking his soul, _corroding it unbearably_...

The witch looked at him with a raised eyebrow, realizing his eyes were focused on her, and shrugged.

They heard the door open and footsteps approaching them; Shuu seemed to take on an annoyed look and turned up the volume of his music player, making a faint music leak from the earphones. From above a shelf the brother's raven hair popped, and finally he came to the table glaring at the blond scornfully, then turned to the witch who attentively examined him: he seemed grumpier than before.

\- _Mary-san_ \- it had to be a _very important_ issue to call her by her name... - Our uncle would like to meet you in person; you will find him in the living room closest to the kitchen, _please do not make him wai_ -

\- Tell that man the girl is busy with me – Shuu suddenly interrupted, unstressed, flipping through the book before him listlessly; Reiji narrowed his hostile eyes and started to open his mouth, closed it and pulled an annoyed sigh, clearing his throat.

\- _Very well_ \- he gritted his teeth and prepared to leave the library, nervous, abandoning the other vampire with the witch, who was still with wide open eyes and hands resting on the table since he had informed her of that unpleasant request, ready to take any excuse to avoid meeting with Richter.

She shifted her eyes on the young man in front of her, surprised by his words.

\- Thank you... – she muttered and he snorted, ignoring her; Mary curled the corner of her mouth into an amused smirk, and walked away to put the book where she had taken it off: suddenly she felt like reading something different.

She ran her fingers on the titles until she bumped her head against Shuu's chest, whom she looked at with a confused expression: the vampire stared ate her impassively for a few seconds and finally grinned, while his glinting irises froze the girl.

\- I said _you're busy with me_ \- the penetrating and persuasive voice pierced her eardrums making her shiver, before being pressed against the shelves and letting out a surprised gasp; the vampire passed his lips hungrily down her neck, then bit her on the front, his hands clutching that soft feminine hips.

The witch, her head facing the ceiling, closed her eyes blinded by the light bulb, blushing and stiffening at that so... _passionate_ touch?

Shuu shifted on her ear, whispering with a wry smile:

\- Maybe you would rather have met with Richter? Huh? _Answer me –_ he lowered his voice, laughing and brushing her earlobe with the tip of the nose; the girl's scarlet cheeks were accentuated even more, and she pulled her eyes elsewhere, deeply embarrassed by the tricky question: he wasn't wrong, she _did_ preferred to be there with him rather than with the Sakamaki brothers' uncle! The vampire urged her once again to speak, by blowing on her face and stroking her back where he had slipped his right hand.

\- Your uncle doesn't look compromising... - Mary finally said, her eyes turned to the ground, the small voice trembling with shame, but sincere; Shuu's short and raspy laugh manifested itself after three seconds, as the blond didn't certainly expect a so severe and _spot-on_ prejudice about Richter.

\- Pffft ... _I'd never get tired of you_... – he whispered, before embracing her waist and sinking his fangs on her shoulder, uncovered from her slightly unbuttoned shirt's sleeve; he drank greedily, as if he had had a dry throat for days.

The witch leaned her forehead on his shoulder and sighed, quite tired: she believed the blond to be the cause, as he was putting a strain on the strength of her poor little heart throbbing with excitement and shyness; the vampire, as if he had read her mind, nipped her earlobe, chuckling at her indignant reaction and avoiding another headbutt by a hair's breadth, and watched her intently, excited by her embarrassed face and those trembling lips.

* * *

Mary huffed annoyed, still quivering from Shuu's intense behaviour; it was more and more delicate than Subaru's rough one when he was inexplicably angry (or so she thought, the naïve girl), but as sensual as Laito's.

She hit Ayato's head with a ladle when he came to pestering her to prepare some _takoyaki_ (he'd have cooked them himself if it wasn't for Reiji's ban from using the kitchen), arguing that she had to prepare dinner; the vampire was about to blurt out that she could just cook his favourite dish for everyone ( _for the sake of eating them he would have even shared them_?!), but the witch waved under his nose the menu recommended by the second son: there was also a _threat in case she didn't prepare each dish properly in his absence_ , since he was still busy with his uncle and a friend of the latter.

Ayato cursed his four-eyed brother and finally left the kitchen, sulking and putting his hands in his pockets; the witch looked up at the sky, relieved, and began to peel the vegetables and cut the meat for the stew. Then filled a pot of water to boil, to cook the rice, and returned to the carrots, washing them carefully and taking a look at the fire: _she had not turned it on_.

She grimaced annoyed and called herself an idiot, finishing the last carrots' washing and wiping her hands; before she could move only one step in the stove's direction, her nose sensed again that clean scent that would intoxicate her every time. She blushed, glancing at the kitchen's entrance, where a yawning and just-fresh-out-of-shower vampire was staggering, with honey-coloured hair still a bit wet. He ruffled his hair while approaching her with a tired look and the scowl of one who was making too much effort to walk a distance of less than five meters.

Mary raised an eyebrow.

\- Shuu-san? Do you need something?

\- That apron is very _tempting_ \- he chuckled, winking at the laced attire which hit him in the face in less than a second, blocking him from seeing her angry face and the nerve throbbing on her temple. She went to the stove, in the meantime followed by the young man, who grumbled that sometimes she was really not cute to be a female.

\- You don't have to stay here with me, _if it displease you so much_ \- she snapped, sour, lighting the flame. A hand immediately pulled hers away and turned off the fire.

\- What... _Shuu-san_?! – she exclaimed, confused and at the same time upset, and turned to look at him, opening her eyes widely, surprised: he was noticeably pale and looked very uncomfortable; she recognized in those blue eyes the shadow of terror already seen two days before, in the music room.

\- Shuu-san, are you perhaps _afraid of_... – she began to ask with a small voice; the vampire jumped, looked baffled, and, before she could finish with the word "fire", he grabbed her face in his hands, pulling it towards his own and closing her mouth with his lips.

Wincing, Mary widened her eyes even more and clung to his arms, wriggling out of his grasp without success; she clenched her eyes shut and blushed violently in perceiving Shuu's pleasured grumbling as he kept on rubbing his lips against hers for twenty seconds; he broke a centimetre away and opened his eyes, staring at her intently. He snickered.

\- Humans' food is often disgusting... but your mouth is _delicious_... _I could never get enough of it_... – he whispered with provocative tone; he kissed her one, two, three times and more, embracing her waist with his arms.

 _It's just to distract her_ , he told himself, as he walked away a little and watched her embarrassed and agitated face begging him to stop; probably, the witch's little heart was packing its stuff to escape as soon as possible and leave her in the vampire's clutches. He kissed her a seventh time, after stroking her lower lip with his thumb.

 _Just to distract her...,_ he repeated in his head before pushing her against the edge of the kitchen's counter, leaning his hands down to hold her from getting away.

 _To distract her...,_ he still thought, deepening the eleventh kiss and feeling somewhat dazed, _feverish_ as he stroked her back and heard the girl's _timid_ moans against his mouth.

* * *

\- Micchan~ Why didn't you come down to eat with us...? _Uh_? What's that redness around your mouth? Did you get burned...?

\- _Shut up_.

\- Eeeh~ Why are you so red? Um... _AH_! I get it! _Rash from too many kisses_ , _fufu_ ~, _Shuu gave his best_ , _ne_ ~...

\- _AAAAAH, SHUT UP_!

\- Pffft, _ahahahaha_ , Micchan~, you're so red _ahahahaha_! _NO_ , no, Micchan, _put that closet down_ , put it do-... _AH_! _Micchan_!

* * *

 **I'm very sorry for updating so late T^T I'm quite busy with University and I get home in the evening, so I'm very tired, even if it's just a matter of translating... (I think I've already said that this fiction is originally in Italian, my mothertongue)  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless!  
Thank you for reading and see you next bite time :D**


	31. Chapter 30

\- ... And then, fufu~, Ayato-kun and I used to catch bats for Kanato-kun when he would let them get away, but those were other times, you know, _fufu_ ~, _we were kids_...  
\- Laito-kun, _move_ , _now_.  
The vampire didn't have time to shoot a questioning look at his witch, sitting in front of the desk, that he was quickly yanked away, against her; and thanks to her he avoided a gory and _absurd_ doom.  
An _unknown_ form burst into the room, smashing the glass doors of the balcony, and directly dashed against the wall, where it stuck lurching violently like a dart; it actually looked a lot like... of course, _it was a pigeon_...!  
\- _Er_... Micchan, _sore wa_... _nan_ i1? - Laito asked, to say the least confused, pointing with his finger at that bird which jumped wriggling to the ground and then flew towards them; had it not been for Mary, probably the young man would have found himself with body's _hidden places painfully pierced_.  
\- It's my friend Theo's pigeon - she said in a sarcastic and bored tone - Didn't you read a part of his letter? - she sighed, rubbing her neck punctuated by his bites; the other tilted his head, murmuring that he thought it was a sarcastic joke. Mary raised an eyebrow:  
\- Nah, _everything Theo says is true or will come true_. He has already predicted that the world will end immersed in a sea of fruit jelly... – she commented ironic, though Laito would have never been able to tell if she was serious or not at that time; both of them looked at each other, realizing that he was still on her thighs, before being thrown on the floor with an annoyed look.  
The pigeon hopped on the desk gaining their attention: it was mangy, with a large goitre in its throat and two large eyes rimmed in yellow and green, among that formless and sickly mass of grey feathers. The beak looked like it had been sharpened by a butcher to claim victims gliding and it was swaying its neck as if it were in the grip of a serious and permanent tic.  
The witch finally pulled from the bird's collar a piece of rolled and folded paper, opening it:  
\- "I will come and visit you _at school_ "...? – both of them read, as soon as Laito stood up behind the girl's back; they exchanged glances and pointed their eyes on each other's uniforms: _oh yeah_ , school; they had forgotten about it, since they had got up early and chatted all the time...  
\- Laito, Mary-san! _I DEMAND you to hurry up_! – they heard Reiji's voice thundering behind the bedroom door, knocking on it hysterically. The two jumped up and ran out of the room, planning as they travelled in the limo to meet in the courtyard during the break.  
The vampire was excited and looking forward to the idea of meeting that famous friend named Theo: he _might_ have been able to discover interesting things about her past (and it _wasn't_ going to happen); meanwhile he spent hours wandering around the corridors and in women's bathrooms, doing his normal activities despite Reiji's harsh bans and his Micchan's disgruntled and sullen faces, which always made him scream in ecstasy like a fangirl ( _fanboy_?).  
The witch followed the lessons like a good and diligent model student, taking notes and distracting herself only when she wanted to look at the clear sky, pondering whether in a year's time her friend had changed or had remained the same; to the sound of the break bell, Mary ran immediately outside in order not to run into Reiji's furious looks.  
Quickly she got out, as she remembered the meeting that had taken some days before; she wondered if she would meet them again, those four young people who she presumed to be vampires...  
Actually she di run into someone, but it wasn't one of those four guys, judging by the _clean scent_ that pervaded her nostrils: Shuu, tired of the music classroom where a boring group of students had entered for a lesson while he was dozing off, was wandering around and looking for a quieter place right at the same moment, exactly in that same place among all the existing areas in the school.  
Both of them looked at each other speechless, one taking back the earphone which had slipped off, the other blushing while recalling the rash from too many kisses that had healed over night, but which she still felt itching slightly when she was facing the beautiful blonde.  
\- _Ah_!... _Sh-Shuu-san_ , I'm in a hu-hurr-...  
The vampire bent to silence her with a kiss, after an annoyed grunt from the noise that she was causing out of embarrassment and nervousness, and quickly walked away, leaving her with a dazed expression on her scarlet face, in the hallway's midst.  
She shook her head to awaken from the shock, rubbing her lips with her shirtsleeve fuming, and got back to her steps, finding Laito waiting for her while lying on a bench, with his head resting on his folded arms and his hat over his face.  
\- Micchan, fufu~ since yesterday your _body is soaked with Shuu's smell_... – he chuckled, smiling mischievously as he raised his hat with a finger to look at her with amused eyes.  
\- _Be quiet_ , _please_ \- she muttered darkly, facepalming; the boy suddenly took a sullen expression on, sitting with his elbows on his thighs and his head bowed down.  
\- But it's not fair that I didn't get a kiss – he grumbled capriciously, pursing his lips; Mary bent down on her knees in front of him so that she could peer into his eyes grimly.  
\- _It was you_ who shoved me against Subaru-kun.  
\- But _you have no excuse_ for Shuu - he retorted, gloomy; a nerve pulsed irritatingly on her forehead, annoyed, and mumbled something, blushing with embarrassment; of course, especially in front of Laito, she would never have admitted that, even though she had tried to reject it, she was justified because she was infatuated with the blonde.  
 _I've just friendzoned someone... well, nothing important_ , she thought suddenly, seized with a shiver of inexplicable sorrow, while in the opposite side of the school an albino was sweating nervously, overwhelmed by the bad feeling that he had been just rejected, without even having the time to confess.  
She brought two fingers to her lips, kissing them, and then placed them on the vampire's lips who winced and stared at her, astonished by that gesture.  
\- Is this enough? - she asked, hopeful that she hadn't done something idiotic and at the same time that she had solved the problem; knowing that family's members and the trauma they had experienced, she could have expected anything among mood swings and unpredictable murderous instincts, even in the most trivial cases such as the one she was facing at the moment.  
\- Micchan... - Laito murmured, feeling again that strange feeling of lacking something, maybe not just one, that was quite important for his life.  
\- _CHOOO-HIMEEEEE_!  
The scream which called the witch was heard within a radius of two kilometres, causing the walls to shake and threatening to crack the high school windows; Mary's hair became bristly and a few strands set upright on her head, while the vampire's hat jolted and fell to the ground; both of them turned towards the voice, coming from behind the school's fence, after having exchanged a bewildered look: a boy was waving his arm with euphoria, running to the gate and finally clinging to the bars, grinning like an... idiot.  
\- Theo - Mary snorted with an indecipherable face, perhaps nostalgic and amused; she stood up and approached, followed by Laito who was moving his curious gaze from her to the unknown guy.  
The young man had a tuft of black hair, reaching below the ear, moved to the right side of his face so as not to cover his two emeralds eyes behind the lenses of a pair of glasses with a blue and thin frame; presumably the rest of his hair was very short, it was difficult to determine because he was wearing a lead-grey beret, the same colour as the trousers and the buttons of his dark green jacket: all of these together seemed a kind of military uniform; he was also wearing black gloves, in contrast to the white of his... _idiotic_ smile.  
\- Cho-hime! - he called, pronouncing the nickname which he first had given to his dear friend with so much affection and contentment. Mary stopped half a meter away, crossing her arms and smiling at him, severe and softly at the same time; she raised an eyebrow, scolding him:  
\- Theo! I told you a hundred times not to scream, you'll cause an explosion sooner or later!  
\- That's exaggerated, I'm not Markucchi, ehehe - the other said, still smiling, and rubbed his temple with a finger - _I'm so happy to see you again_!  
\- _And I'm rather annoyed to have you back in the way_!  
\- Ari-sensei! - the girl exclaimed, with a disapproving tone and a surprised accent, as the man reached them, always dressed in black and with a sulky expression on his face.  
Laito was behind her, almost hugging her back, and rested a hand on her arms and the other on her hip; he was observing the trio, thoughtful, and sniffing their scents, and a strange and confusing doubt made its way in his mind: if the two males were also sorcerers, _then why was his Micchan giving off a different scent_...?  
\- Thank goodness he hasn't brought with him your brother or Claire, that pest - the teacher muttered – the former would have started talking with you telepathically and, _for God's sake_ , _who can even stop you_! The latter would have snatched you away and even your vampire friend to flirt with him - he concluded, addressing the very vampire who briefly opened his eyes wide, then giggled mischievously.  
\- Fufu~ really? I'm usually the one taking the initiative... neh, Micchan~, you'll introduce her to me, _won't you_ ~? - he asked with a pleading voice; Mary looked up to the sky, as if she had expected such a request, as she agreed to, adding with a sneer that he and her best friend would have probably got along.  
\- Enough said: Theo, tell her the latest news. Remember you promised me to fix me the van...  
\- _Yes sir_! – the boy exclaimed with one hand on the forehead, imitating the military salute; he turned to her with a smile less cheerful and more serious - Listen: three days ago a demons and witches' hunter has been spotted to venture in the area; he has a particular and showy scar on his torso, in front and behind, from the neck to the side...  
 _This looks familiar... Dunno, it doesn't matter_ , Mary thought with a shrug.  
\- Also it seems he has attacked several demons, casually, in order to be able to capture any one; in fact, a young female demon has disappeared yesterday morning and, _oddly enough_ , that hunter was no longer detected.  
Mary frowned: this meant that soon they would have to face Richter, perhaps that very night; Theo clapped his hands, informing her that he would have been there in town eventually ready to lend her a hand if necessary.  
\- You know how to call me - he winked, before smiling like an idiot once again and shaking a hand to greet her as he turned and... tripped.  
\- I was waiting for this very moment - said Mary, gazing at him blankly; Ari nodded, stifling a sadistic laugh, and in the meantime the boy quickly stood up with tears in his eyes, but always with his grin that sooner or later would have destroyed his jaw.  
\- _Cho-hime_ , _hidoiii_ _2_ \- he complained while laughing embarrassed; he gave her a final affectionate nod of greeting and took his leave with the teacher, who just gave a simple nod. Mary stared at them, sensing Laito's hold around her waist and his face sink into herhair.  
\- Micchan~ _the great event_ is near, _fufu_ ~ - he chuckled seemingly exalted, distracting her from her nostalgic thoughts in which she was falling; yet she was sure she had seen a certain coldness and melancholy in the vampire's eye, under the dark shadow of his hat.

* * *

She walked toward the silver vase, sinking her hand inside: when she pulled out, she was clutching pieces of bloody flesh and ash-blond hair, stuck around her fingers; suddenly she felt her chest being pierced, in the same place where an artificial lung was a bad experience's memory, close to the heart consumed by tears and bitterness of her past's saddest episodes.

A woman's voice, high-pitched, grinned behind her and sang, disturbing:  
\- _Maaa_. _Ry_. _Chaaan_ ~ I didn't think you still cared _so much_ about Ryan-senpai, _nehe_ ~?  
She shouted, but the other young woman's laughter echoed in her sleep.

* * *

Mary suddenly woke up, sweaty and panting, cursing the tears escaping with arrogance from her eyes; she took a deep breath, calming her agitation and stared bitterly at the ceiling, still lying on the bed; _Rose_ , that was her senpai's name who had been once a dear friend... and that she herself had torn to pieces... after Rose-senpai had... _that traitor_... she had sold them to the enemy... _unforgivable_... and had... _she had_... _murdered_...  
\- _Micchan_.  
Laito called her from the bed's side; in the dim light, he seemed restless, as the other twins were, appearing shortly after behind him, staring intently at the witch. Before she could ask what they needed, after reawakening from the excruciating daze's state, negative vibrations made her frown, serious.  
\- Oi, _witch_! You promised: _you'll help us_! - Ayato exclaimed with a determined grin, glowing eyes of killer instinct, impatient to see his uncle's blood pouring profusely.  
The long awaited and unwelcome moment had come; she got out of bed, inviting the triplets to wait for her in the living room where she perceived the bad feelings coming from. She changed, quickly wearing boots, jeans and a turtleneck; before leaving the room, she looked bitterly at her hands: they were probably going to get dirty with blood, _again_.  
 _... To hell with the regrets_ ; she had to act.

* * *

 **1"Sore wa nani?" = "What is that?" I'm not sure if "sore" was "that" or "this", tho...**

 **2 "Hidoi" (might have two "i" instead of only one) = "cruel", "mean", "meanie" or something.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter~ And Merry Christmas! ^^**


	32. Chapter 31

_Chapter 31_

The first time Mary saw Yui Komori, she thought her looks reminded her of her sweet _kohai_ Isa a lot; however, when she felt negative vibes and examined her green eyes staring at her and the Sakamaki brothers with arrogance and malice while approaching the centre of the room, she took it back. She rather wondered how that vampire, Cordelia, had succeeded in taking full control of the poor girl's body, and above all she realized the hell in which she had raised her own children.

A mixture of disgust, hatred and discomfort grew in her heart, and observed the vampires' disturbed faces in front of the loft, where Cordelia and Richter were peering, the latter being Karlheinz's brother: if the witch hadn't known, she would have never believed it.

Shuu had sat impassively on a chair, with his eyebrows furrowed, an elbow resting on the armrest and fist to his cheek; Reiji was standing next to a column and stared with severe and upset eyes the two unwanted guests; Kanato stood on aside, clutching his teddy bear and hiding his face in it, and glanced miserably at his "mother"; Ayato was glaring at her with immense hatred and annoyance, albeit in his eyes you could see a shadow of anxiety for the possessed girl; Subaru was grinding his teeth, irritated by his uncle's sneer towards him, as he tightened his fists ready to vent his anger; Laito was behind the witch, hiding his face under his hat held between his fingers, just showing an indecipherable smile.

\- _My little nightingale_! - the woman cried, holding out a hand towards Kanato, with a as sugary as false smile - Ayato, Laito... what a _pleasure_ to see you again! - she said, her just as false voice, taking a mocking look at the other stepchildren - Reiji, you have the same eyes of Karl... _how fascinating_ – she considered dreamy, ignoring the ironic and contemptuous comments coming by the very vampire - And you? – she looked Mary up and down, haughty - Surely you're beautiful, dear. Would you like to be my lady-in-waiting? - she laughed.

 _Ok, this woman is definitely in my black list at the top_ , the witch thought, narrowing her eyes defiantly; she felt Laito's hands' weight on her shoulders and his lips near her ear.

\- _Micchan_ ~, thi is Cordelia, our mothe ... in the body of our dear friend Bitch-chan! - he chuckled without humour, hearing Ayato's snarl from behind.

The woman turned to her eldest son:

\- _Laito_. I figured you'd see other girls, _even after what happened_ – she mysteriously said, with an expression on her face that seemed hinting at a secret...

Mary's eyes widened suddenly and she heard no more, and gazing at the vampire's face: hischeeks were rosy, eyes flashing an ambiguous light that she was able to interpret with great dismay, before seeing it disappear under a resentful shade.

\- I thought I'd see _in Hell_ , _fufu_ ~ - he replied with a veiled tone, pulling his hands down on girl's elbows and squeezing them, almost protectively – and do not misunderstand: this girl deserves better than _the dull relationship you had with me_ \- he added coldly, lowering his voice.

\- Your presence is _unpleasant_ \- Subaru barked, interrupting Cordelia before she could reply furiously to her son, glaring at her; Richter bit back with a sardonic grin:

\- Look who's talking, the son of _that woman_ whose presence is _absent_ and _irrelevant_.

In less than a split second, Subaru had jumped on the loft's railing, directing a fist at his uncle who twisted his arm after having grabbed his hand; the albino tried to kick him, shielded by a grasp that wasn't his relative's.

He fell back to the ground, retreating, stepping back next to the witch, and looked up at the man who had just entered the scene, the brothers doing the same.

\- Scram, _you_ _leech_ \- he told him, giving him an ironic grin and arching an eyebrow; he was wearing brown pants and boots, a tight black sweater that was open on the chest, where there was a visible and deep white scar, and was carrying on his shoulders a strange folded up device, perhaps a particular type of weapon. The belt had two revolvers and a transparent box of silver bullets; he seemed to be around thirty years old, had olive skin, brown eyes and combed back auburn hair.

Mary turned pale and broke out into cold sweat when their eyes met and widened in unison, triggering confused reactions from the vampires; the hunter narrowed his eyelids into two thin and wild slits.

\- _You_...

Mary stepped forward and stood exactly in the middle of that _pleasant_ exchange of chitchats, before the confused Sakamaki brothers, Richter's questioning stare and Cordelia's curious one.

\- _Long time no see_ \- she muttered, nervously returning the furious man's gaze; Laito and the brothers could have sworn they had heard the girl's voice dropping, as getting more... _ominous_.

\- Do you already know this witch? - Richter asked; the other nodded dismissively, and then gave him a confused look.

\- Witch? - he repeated, arching an eyebrow; the vampire took on a somewhat puzzled expression, especially when the hunter laughed evilly.

\- _Just_ a witch?! That woman is not _just_ a witch - se said, disgusted, and pointed at the girl– _she's a filthy hybrid_!

Mary's silver eyes glowed on her dark face, concealing her mouth's bitter twist.

* * *

She had run as fast as possible, until she remembered the problem she had with her lungs; she had decelerated, taking shelter in a blind alley to calm down, restore her energy and prepare to face the hunter who had discovered her while taking a cappuccino at the coffee shop where she was working as a waitress to earn some money. And the man had recognized as a hybrid, half witch and half demon! Despite his young age, he must have learned as a child to sniff witches, demons and to distinguish hybrids.

\- Being served by a filthy hybrid _just beats everything_! - she had heard behind her, after a few minutes; she had not turned away, pricked up her ears and watched the surroundings carefully: walls, trash, restless animals and garbage again.

\- You're all laughable, you hunters... you despise us so much that you yourselves possess powers to eliminate us – she had replied, sourly; the man clicked his tongue, clearly irritated and she had felt the ping of a small handgun. In no time she had turned and had protected herself from all the bullets with her eyes; even if they had pierced her flesh, her body would have quickly regenerated itself anyway.

Among insults and continuous attacks from the hunter and snipes and skilful reflexes from the prey, both were worthy of praise: the former for his strict devotion to his duty, the latter for her immense will to survive.

The man had begun to make full use of the powers he had been granted with: his speed, strength and endurance had increased; however, the real problem was his ability to manipulate a fluid but compact mass, able to trap in its gelatinous hold the girl who was desperately avoiding it, moving away with a series of complex movements.

She had seemed hesitant to him, as if she wasn't using all of her strength; until she was captured in that substance's slimy grip, compressing her body to the point of being almost deprived of air. The hunter had come, with a triumphant smile and pointing a gun at her head:

\- Sayonara, filthy hybrid. I admit that it our meeting was _exciting_ – he had said, with a sick look of disgust and superficiality.

Suddenly, before he could just pull the trigger, a deep cut from the shoulder to the opposite side had pierced his chest, blood splattering from his body and on the surroundings; his shocked and gasping face had turned to witch's silver and sad but severe eyes, the last thing he saw before darkness, into which he had sunk before collapsing on the ground with a deep wound tearing apart his bust, almost amputee.

\- Next time, don't waste time in useless talk - she murmured, looking at the body with glazed eyes.

* * *

The two stared at each other intently, the man itching to exterminate her, the girl for not having slaughtered him before, in order to make sure she wouldn't run into him never again; and, under those circumstances, she would probably have had less pains in that situation, too...

\- If you want to slay each other, it would be kind of you to do so outside of these walls, _if possible_.

Mary was so focused on the eye contact with the man that later on she would have wondered if it had been Reiji or Richter making such a request; certainly it was Cordelia's tempting and mischievous voice to distract them:

\- _Oh_ , _what are you saying to me_! Wouldn't it be more _intriguing_ if they entertained us with _so_ _extraordinary_ fight!? - she said, clapping his hands once, euphoric. The hunter eyed her, excited by her proposal.

\- I wouldn't min-...

The loft's railings got deformed, and the metal bars were split, turning the sharp part to the man who jumped backwards quickly, avoiding them.

\- _Let's go to the garden_ – Mary said with a low voice again, turning away and heading towards the exit; Laito wished her good luck while giggling, Ayato advised her to hurry up and break his behind (to say it with "kinder" words), Kanato asked her to bring him a souvenir, Subaru stared at her poorly hiding his concern, Shuu peered at her blankly.

\- Reiji-san, _the vase_ – she whispered to the vampire as she passed by, and the latter nodded imperceptibly.

As she walked down the corridor connecting to the nearest door to the garden, she untied her hair by pulling just one of her two braids always adorning her face's right side, and soft strands of hair fell down her back, dancing as she went on.

They began to lighten and take on a slight glow as bright as her silver irises were, observing the man as he got in front of her; they exchanged hostile glances and a moment later they had jumped towards each other.

* * *

Cordelia's eyes widened and she turned towards Richter, confused, while he was looking disinterestedly at Subaru's dagger.

\- This was already one of the deal's conditions when I saved your life. You had sworn that if I had saved you, I would have obtained the throne... – he stated; the woman grabbed his arm, ensuring him with a persuasive voice that she would have complied with any request.

\- Thus, _hurry up_ and get rid of these boys... _Do it for me_ \- she added, before stiffening and moving away when the vampire told her she was a fool.

\- You're useless to me, in your not yet restored state... Your heart would be enough for me to wait for the girl's awakening and make her mine, in order to become the next head of the family... _I don't need you_ \- he said, coldly, therefore revealing to the woman what he had planned until then. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and grinned:

\- And then, Richter, _why_ _did you even_ get the Miriandola Bluetta and the Demonic Essence, _if you don't need me_? - she asked, sure that she had a point. Richter instead snorted amused and gazed at her coldly.

\- If used in a different process they can eliminate you from the face of the earth. After all, your heart was needed just to facilitate the girl's awakening without killing her. Poured in cold water and the sacrificed body, the parasite reacts with the Demonic Essence rather than the water, and destroys everything that is related to demons... And although you were born as a vampire, the demon blood of your father is still present in your heart. _You won't be a hindrance to my purposes_...

Cordelia couldn't believe it: finding out that _she was used_ and that _she_ _didn't use him_ was like a betraying stab in the back; in less than a second she found herself in Richter's arms.

Before he could sink his teeth into that neck's soft flesh, Ayato has interfered promptly, threatening his uncle to leave Yui's body, who belonged to him alone; Richter grabbed a sword that was in the loft more for display than fight and headed it towards his nephew, menacing him not to meddle, while detaining the possessed girl; the young vampire procured himself another sword through Laito, who had launched it on time.

The battle began: Richter's cutting blows were definitely stronger, blocked with a little difficulty by the other who was moving backwards as his opponent moved forward; ending up against the wall, Ayato couldn't dodge another attack and a scarlet spurt stained his clothes around his left shoulder, dripping on the floor carpet.

He growled hostile to his uncle's satisfied grin, and he slumped to the ground, looking at him as he raised his arm to give him the coup de grace; suddenly a gentle and awed voice called him, blocking the scene as a movie's sequence.

\- _Ayato_ - _kun_!...

The boy opened his eyes wide and pointed them on his Yui's quartz-like pinkish irises... _yes_ , _his Yui_.

Richter let out a guttural cry of anger and hit her on the head before the girl could break free from his grip, and fell unconscious in his arms; he gave his nephew a cold and evil smile, before teleporting away.

Ayato cursed, unleashing a fist against the wall, and quickly got up to go down the loft's stairs and reach his brothers, dabbing the wound on his shoulder with his hand.

\- He's at the swimming pool, if he's going to need cold water - Reiji said immediately, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully; Laito nodded, chuckling that it would have been better to hurry up before things got worse and Yui got contaminated; he kept the unpleasant, but ambiguous, memory of the mother to himself.

\- I'll join you right away - Reiji said, disappearing; the brothers did the same, to the underground pool, unlike the young man who appeared in his studio, in front of the cabinet where Mary had put that vase.

He inserted the key in the lock and turned it, suddenly jolting when a loud noise and a strange earthquake caught him by surprise.

What was going on in the garden, _exactly_?

* * *

 **Hi everyone~ I hope you liked this chapter!**  
 **We're near the end of the story~ ... and at the same time, the beginning of another part... ;D**

 **See you and thanks for reading!**


	33. Chapter 32

_Chapter 32_

Mary had avoided the hunter's attack by a hair's breadth, quickly moving to the side and moving a pillar of the garden in front of him to block the successive blows.

Since their last fight which she had won (with five days of hospitalization in the pulmonology department), the man seemed to have got physically stronger and acquired new skills: if last time he had manipulated a shapeless mass of matter, at that moment he was trying to pierce her flesh with a malleable coarse but sharp-pointed object; it was a strange gadget, carried on his back, ductile and graspable in different ways.

She gritted her teeth, cursing her hesitation and finally reacted when the enemy seemed exhausted by his constant efforts: she moved backwards with a catlike jump and raised her hands, opening her arms as to embrace as much air as possible: the hunter's eyes widened while feeling the growing heavy atmosphere and recognize her gesture, stepping back quickly, and suddenly the ground shook and then broke up into huge amounts of earth, as expelled by a violent eruption.

The man threw himself to the ground rolling just in time to avoid one of the many columns which adorned the immense garden's paved paths and assaulted the witch, who in the meantime hovered some iron bars around her, borrowed from the fences that she had seen in the balcony of one of the mansion's rooms.

Waving her hand she sent them like arrows towards the man and growled at him dodging her darts flawlessly, then proceeding to attack her with his weapon; she used what little strength she possessed thanks to her half demonic nature to make a fairly high jump and land on an archway to a part of the garden, which had not yet blooming rose bushes. She pressed her lips to stifle a groan of pain: she wasn't at her best when using her demonic abilities, they weakened her very easily... being also an halfwitch, she had limitations and _side effects_ too...

Twisted purple threads nicely surrounded her eyes and the girl held out her hands towards the ground, raising them as if burnt: with a din similar to the an explosion's roar, other clay fragments arose and were directed against the opponent who jumped on them making his way to the girl; he grunted his disdain, while hurling another shot.

Mary narrowed her eyes and her hair puffed up: the hunter screamed in surprise and pain as he fell, badly hurt by cuts spread everywhere on his body, and writhed tainting the ground with his blood, as he ruinously fell on it; the witch sighed in exasperation, but swallowed a second later as she felt a presence behind her.

After a moment after she had been thrown away, violently slamming her head against a fountain's edge and her vision blurred; she heard his evil laughter and clenched her fists, holding back frustrated tears; she stood up, looking with hatred at the man in front of her who clapped at his small success.

- _This time I won't hesitate to cut you to pieces_ \- he hissed, with her unusual cold, low and dark voice, and opened her palms in front of her, her fingers being covered by other purple arabesques: an unnatural silence quietened all, causing the cautious opponent to break out in a cold sweat while observing what was happening, and the abnormal quietness was interrupted by the earth's trembling and trees and bushes' rustle; the sky, shaded with the dawn's pink-violet first lights became cloudy and everything was gradually sliced by more or less deep splits, starting from the witch's position and reaching the man, among crushed leaves and shattered rocks in more splinters.

The man quickly prepared his weapon, which extended itself in a kind of large black cloak to cover him.

The witch didn't blink before the shield not being scratched by her powers: she knew they weren't invincible, so rather than wonder and unnecessarily questioning herself she thought of a new plan; summoning the chaos wouldn't have been a brilliant idea, she could have risked killing the Sakamaki brothers, since she wasn't in an enough large area.

She had to use _that_...

* * *

Ayato had dived and swam towards the pool's bottom, catching _his_ Yui's almost-colder-than-water body in his arms, and put his lips on hers, trying to make her breathe and regain consciousness. She opened her eyes with difficulty, giving a dumbfounded look at the vampire, then smiled faintly of _relief_ , as if telling him that she _had been waiting_ for him. Ayato bitterly bent his eyebrows and kissed her _longingly_ before biting her neck: her sweet blood flowed down his throat, and he recognized its new and strange taste, sign that she was going to become a full-fledged vampire very soon.

Suddenly they heard a splash into the water and looked up towards what had been thrown, something that was radically changing its shape into some kind of seaweeds' knot... _which were screeching_?

Ayato wondered if that was the parasite; if it was possible in water, he broke out in a cold sweat as he stared nervously at the shapeless mass dangerously close to them, emitting sharp cries of hunger that painfully bothered their eardrums.

Yui clutched the young man who in turn took her in his protective grasp, climbing cautiously towards the surface with an eye focused on that creature.

* * *

Reiji gritted his teeth irritated as his uncle poured the Miriandola Bluetta powder in the water, rushing quickly while Subaru stopped the despised family member from shedding any more Demonic Essence, similar to a violet smoke sphere, which was promptly seized by Kanato, curiously observing it in his hands after he teleporting farther away.

The albino focused on Richter and, backed up by Laito, they tried to keep him busy as long as possible, attacking to their personal satisfaction too, given all the resentment harboured for him.

Suddenly scratching noises came from the pool's water and Shuu's eyes widened, increasing the music's volume in his headphones: those sounds were similar to those produced by sharp tips moving on the glass; meanwhile Yui and Ayato emerged, the latter barking angrily at the creature that floated towards them afters resurfacing.

Reiji leant with a knee on the edge of the pool and pulled off the film that sealed the vase, which was shaking violently in his hands: out of surprise, the vampire let it go and the container fell into the water, opening and pouring out what was inside.

Suddenly everyone nearly bent double, shaken by the very shrieking scream that seemed to come from that object: a pinkish stain spread on the surface and the parasite stopped his movement to back away, proceeding with more enthusiasm. A black and rotten body floated on the surface: its shape, although corroded, still recalled the lung that it had been; the being threw itself on it and a last screech, less piercing, soon dissipated in the air, marking its end.

The silence didn't have time to take possession of the scene that Richter's growl echoed in the large underground room and the vampire vanished, after being stabbed in the heart by Subaru, who had promptly taken advantage of his distraction.

Laito disappeared right after, chuckling that it was his turn to conclude; the albino let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the floor, supporting himself with hands on the floor.

Reiji stretched out his hand for Yui, aided by Ayato while swimming towards the edge of the pool, and helped her in getting out of it; Shuu made a bored sound and stumbled around, glancing at the puzzled little brother who was whispering something to Teddy about the Demonic Essence that he still had in his hand, looking at it, fascinated.

\- Oi, Chichinashi! - Ayato darkly called her, with a serious frowning and dripping water like the girl who jumped and put her hands to her chest, looking both fearful and confused.

Ayato stretched his lips into a scornful sneer and a _loving_ light flashed hidden in his eyes; he put his hands on Yui's nape, and his face got closer to hers:

\- _Hisashiburi_ \- he said, adding with a barely audible voice to the girl - _Yui_.

* * *

Richter grunted, as the flames surrounded him in that secret room where he was still keeping Cordelia's dress; Laito snorted mockingly and gloomily, and turned his back on him after throwing the lantern which he had used.

\- _See you in Hell_ \- he grinned while leaving; his uncle curved his lips into an unreadable smile, as fire devoured him mercilessly.

* * *

\- O-oi...

\- Hm? Is there a problem, Subaru? - Reiji asked him, adjusting his glasses with a calm and relaxed gesture; if his nerves had finally found peace, they were going to throb painfully again very soon.

Before the albino could answer, Laito clung to him from behind, exclaiming:

\- _Micchan_! We have to go and retrieve her, _fufu_ ~ - he chuckled merrily, while Subaru ranted to get off him by threatening to throw him in the pool.

\- "Micchan"? - Yui mumbled questioningly, glancing at Ayato who didn't want to let go of her waist; the vampire nodded, explaining that during her absence a witch had came to be their blood supply.

\- _Half_ witch... - a low, drawled voice interrupted him; the vampire turned a bit angrily towards Shuu, thoughtful and with his earphones unusually hanging from his hands.

\- What?

\- _Half_ witch and _half_ demo...

His brothers words were also broke off by another quake following a resounding impact from the outside; the brothers exchanged a look of understanding and teleported, Ayato carrying the girl, Reiji subsiding an hysteric attack for the damages he would personally have to fix.

* * *

Mary's eyes were fixed on the grey sky, looking for a flash of blue, as she panted with fatigue and exhausted lungs, lying on the ground; she heard footsteps approaching and into she saw the hunter's head above her, peering with furrowed brows.

\- _Why_? Why don't you exploit all your powers? I'm sure that you could have killed me right from the start – he asked in confusion; he knew that if she hadn't been exhausted by the battle they had, she could have easily ended his life with a few simple moves, thanks to that ability she had used at last, although it probably wasn't the last owned. So why was she hesitating to play her strongest card, if it ensured her winning?

\- It would be... _unfair_...

\- Huh? - The man narrowed his eyes, even more puzzled; the girl moved her dark irises from the sky to the man above her, weak and with a whistling breathing.

\- I'd be too much advantaged... it'd be _too easy_... _it is not in my values_... to face opponents in this way... it takes _effort_...

The hunter was surprised at those words, and after a few seconds of astonishment he laughed heartily.

\- _Ahahahaha_! Even if you're a filthy hybrid you're not bad! _You are worthyof respect_ , compared to other hybrids I've met – he asserted, smiling coldly - unfortunately, _this is my job_ \- he added, pointing the gun towards the girl's forehead, after having inserted a bullet that she well knew - Goodbye, hybrid... _To the stake_.

The girl didn't close her eyes. She wanted to look at him, from that moment up to the one in which she could no longer see him, consumed by flames; which it wasn't happening, because before he could pull the trigger, a figure had suddenly appeared next to him and grabbed the weapon, throwing it away from them; the hunter grabbed that hand and twisted it, bones creaking alarmingly, and tried to hit with an elbow the blonde vampire's stomach who dodged it smoothly.

Subaru growled fiercely behind him, and tried to attack him by kicking on the side, but the man walked away quickly, pointing another gun towards them; and that gun had for sure silver bullets.

The two brothers froze, giving him hostile glances; the hunter looked at them, noticing their brothers and the girl-sacrifice a little more distant, the latter with a more human look and scared, different from when he had saw her for the first time: he deduced they were able to sabotage Richter's plans. Meanwhile he had lowered the gun, considering that it wasn't the case to use it ( _yet_ ).

\- Agh – he complained, scratching his head- Well, your uncle...?

\- _Dead_ \- Laito replied, raising his hat with a hand, smiling mockingly as he appeared bent over his friend's body and caressed her forehead, moving his eyes to the ugly wounds on her abdomen, shoulder and limbs; Mary closed her eyes, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

\- Mh... well, my reward will be given to me by my superiors... _they lack of vampire hunters, actually_ \- he muttered and a cruel grimace appeared on his face; the Sakamakis were ready to defend themselves and eventually get rid of that unwanted individual.

\- _OOOOOI SAKAMAKI BROTHEEEEERS_!

A scream as if directly descended from heaven accompanied an earthquake, and those who were present jumped, Yui ending up in Ayato's arms who was looking around puzzled; Shuu's earphones fell of his ears; Reiji's glasses cracked; Teddy seemed moving out of fear in Kanato's arms, stunned; Subaru paled becoming one with his hair; the hunter's gun slipped off his hand; Laito, after his hat's hop, walked hands in his pockets towards the familiar voice.

\- Oooh, _Theo-kun_! – he exclaimed in surprise, then chuckled to see him reaching them in a hurry - What are you doing he...

Theo suddenly stopped, raising his hands, flashing his idiotic smile to the man who had pointed his gun at him.

* * *

 _Mary suddenly opened her eyes_.

* * *

\- Another wizard - the hunter contemptuously muttered; the young man broke out in a cold sweat: he wasn't ready enough to react to the unexpected...

But the trigger was not pressed, _again_.

The man sensed the female hybrid's presence behind himself and turned his face, meeting her... _red-flecked_ silver eyes?

\- How...? - He was about to exclaim, astonished, as he felt a strange pressure around his neck.

\- _Scram_ \- was the last gloomy word he heard, sharp as the feeling on his neck that killed him instantly; the body fell lying prone on the ground, stared at coldly by the girl, whose vision blurred and strength abandoned her.

Laito appeared behind her just in time to prevent her from collapsing to the ground and embraced her waist to support her; Subaru, on his left, gritted his teeth bothered, clenching into a fist the hand that he had stretched out to grab her; Shuu, on the right of his brother who chuckled satisfied by his quickness, clicked his tongue, turning away, having also failed to rescue her.

\- _Cho-hime_! – Theo called her, getting closer and placing a hand on her forehead - Oh, well, no fever, it'll be just _paralysis_ for a few hours...

He nodded to the three vampires and then to the others; then, he bent over the deceased hunter, pulling out of his shoulder bag a black case that he quickly loosened, obtaining a long bag with a zipper.

\- I'll take care of him, don't worry – he said cheerfully, laying down the bag on the ground beside the body, opening it up and doing a manoeuvre of pronosupination on the lifeless body.

\- _You pick up corpses_...? – the albino muttered, disgusted; the wizard nodded, standing up and pulling the bag on his shoulders after closing it, and turned towards them:

\- If you need help, just call me! _Adios_!

He greeted them, quickly running towards the mansion's entrance gate, where he was to find a way to climb over it with that dead body of one hundred and seventy-six pounds on his shoulders, without killing himself.

Silence ruled for a few seconds, before being interrupted by theirs steps towards the house. Laito carried the unconscious girl's body in his arms and exclaimed:

\- Micchan, fufu~, _you gave your best_ , _huh_? - he chuckled, eyeing the upside-down garden and ignoring Reiji's gloomy figure while he was mentally calculating the repairs' costs.

Mary obviously wasn't listening, overwhelmed by exhaustion; annoyed, Subaru growled to him to stop sniffing her hair; Shuu scanned the girl's neck, intrigued by those three moles that he had glimpsed some days before: they had become poppy-coloured and were gradually darkening.

* * *

 **Hello there, my lovely readers~ Thank you so much for reading until now and I really hope you have enjoyed the story so far!**

 **We have still two chapters and then the first volume will be completed! ;D**

 **Yes, you read it right: FIRST volume; there will be a sequel to this story, much more focused on Mary.**

 **I always thought of this first volume as Mary's entry in our vampires' life, a kind of whole prologue of her life interwining with theirs; so the sequel is much more substantial, it has 47 chapters and most of them are longer than this volume's ones O_o.**

 **That's all, I hope you will keep on reading the sequel too... but first, we have to conclude this one!**

 **See you~**

 **(Sorry for the late update ;v; I had exams to take care of)**


	34. Chapter 33

_Chapter 33_

She was dreaming of whipped cream mountains and hot chocolate lakes, with meringue islands; a caramel fountain sprinkled fresh lemonade and pink cotton candy clouds gave off a tempting aroma of strawberries.

Mary blinked in bewilderment, eyeing the wafer birds chirping happily while gelatine cats were lounging in the shade of the trees with billions of coloured confetti as leaves.

\- Ok, I'm dreaming - she muttered, frowning, and gave herself a powerful slap in the face to escape that absurd albeit very impressive landscape.

* * *

She woke up in bed, blinking repeatedly, all numb and confused; she took a deep breath and flung herself back on the mattress, contorting herself, seized by the extremely painful muscle cramps. She stifled moans of aching and clutched the blankets in her fingers, noticing with her half-closed eyes the whiteness of her hair scattered on the sheet and the green irises of...

\- La... Laito... kun... – the girl stammered, feeling a slight relaxation in her body; the vampire tilted his head, pursing his lips worriedly.

\- _Micchan_ ~! _Daijoubu_? - he asked, sitting on the edge and stroking a side of her face, after moving a few strands of hair behind her ear; she moved her head slightly, muttering that the pain was only temporary, and the vampire smiled in relief, and then take a quizzical expression.

\- How come your hair is still white? It's already been a week and a half...

Hearing how many days she had been unconscious, Mary nearly felt fainting and understood the meaning behind her strange dream: her stomach _claimed food and food and food_...

She raised her torso with difficulty, leaning back against the bed head and rubbed her forehead, muttering the answer to his question.

\- Using too much of my powers has side effects... at worst, I also happen to have a fever for a couple of weeks... Otherwise I remain only unconscious, with no opportunity to use my powers and paralyzed for about a week, the time needed to heal any wounds and get my energies back... my hair goes back to its original colour at last, as it requires very little power...

 _But is it even their original color ...?,_ the girl asked herself puzzled, as she scanned a lock of her hair; she felt her friend's hand on her shoulder and his getting closer.

\- Paralyzed? Powerless? - he repeated with an indecipherable face and the other nodded, raising an eyebrow, bewildered by that unusual expression; Laito stretched his lips in a cunning and mischievous smile.

\- _Eeeh_ ~ If I had known before I would have attacked you without worrying too much... – he chuckled, wrapping her in a hug and brushing his nose with her own; Mary rolled her eyes and stifled an amused snort, raising her hands to pinch his cheeks.

\- I would have hit you _so much_ after waking up, Laito-kun – she smiled beamingly; the vampire fell silent and his eyes widened, staring at her joyous and serene face, framed by her snow-white and luminescent hair.

That so bright white... _where had he already seen it_?

Both of them heard someone knock on the bedroom's door and Mary gave the consent to enter, knowing who it was.

\- _Oya_ , Laito. You're already here? – Reiji said, as he approached them holding in his hands a silver tray: a steaming tea with its aromatic scent and a croissant with hazelnut cream caused the young girl to feel dependent on food.

\- I usually don't appreciate eating in a bedroom, but _this time_ I shall turn a blind eye, given the circumstances - he said very politely and with a relaxed tone, placing the tray on the nightstand beside the bed; the girl moved her eyes from the tray to the vampire who fixed the glasses on his nose with a refined gesture.

\- _Thank you very much_ , Reiji-san - she murmured, bowing her head; the other replied with a nod of the head, calm, and got closer to grab her right hand.

\- Mr Ari contacted me almost immediately after that day, providing me with the money needed to repair the damage that our mansion has undergone... so - he said, with a kiss on the hand worthy of a true gentleman - I would like to _personally express my sincere gratitude_ , since it was you who recommended him to do so.

 _Aaah, that's why he's in such a good mood_..., Mary thought, undecided whether to keep from laughing as much as possible or from making a contemptuous grimace at that little hypocrite gesture which had made her skin broke in a cold sweat; the young man cleared his throat and before leaving he informed her that Ayato and Yui were waiting for her in the closest room to the kitchen. He disappeared.

Laito he chuckled afew minutes later, saying it was too strange to see his older brother so placid; he took a sweet and affectionate glance at her, giving her a kiss on the nose, and finally ruffled her hair and recommended not to force herself too much once she had eaten and rested enough.

Mary observed him thoughtfully, so that the vampire smiled maliciously, asking if she preferred a pleasant and exciting company instead of leaving her alone: the girl glared at him and, looking down at the hot drink, she whispered:

\- You look different... - then, looking up, she added with a warm smile - _You have brighter eyes_.

* * *

When she finally managed to leave the room, after twenty attempts to walk without wobbling or crashing to the ground, the girl slowly walked along the corridors and cautiously descended the stairs, heading for the room next to the kitchen, from where delicious smells hailed from.

She looked around and pay attention to the atmosphere: light, impalpable, breathable, fresh.

She cracked a slight smile, calmed by those positive feelings that were mingling in the air, as if everyone had atoned for their sins and eventually had left behind the suffering that had prevented them to dedicate themselves to a more happy and peaceful life.

However, she wasn't able to reflect that they all were still a bit far from such a goal, actually; perhaps because she was too tired, perhaps because her thoughts went into oblivion when Kanato's voice distracted her.

\- Mary-san - he called her, appearing beside her, with Teddy always close to his chest; dark circles seemed less marked than usual, probably because his eyes had lost some of the usual melancholy, replaced by a yet disturbing gaiety; it wasn't a really good sign, speaking clearly.

\- Kanato-kun - the girl greeted him calmly, tilting her head; her nose smelled the pleasant scent coming from the vampire's clothes - Cream puffs with... _orange_ _flavoured custard_? – she realized questioningly: from what she could remember, that's so-sweet floral fragrance had spread around only when she had prepared the cake for the violet-eyed vampire, who nodded.

\- Mh, exactly. I personally asked Reiji to use it... that aroma is _really delicious_ \- he explained, smiling faintly; he stared intently into her eyes and suddenly held out in front of her his cuddle toy.

\- The demonic Essence is now inside him. Do you think it will make Teddy move on his own? He's a little tired of always being so still...

 _For God's sake, let's hope it won't!,_ she said to herself, answering that she doubt the Essence could do such a thing; obviously she pondered her words carefully, choosing the most suitable to the context, aware that a wrong and unwelcomed term could have cost her a terrible consequence to suffer.

\- Oh, really? – he whispered in disappointment, frowning; Mary feared the worst, but almost breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him relax and move to leave. Suddenly she found Teddy's snout on her own lips, again.

\- Teddy wants to thank you once again for saving his life, and also for avoiding _unpleasant changes_ in this house...

He disappeared; she touched her lips, arching an eyebrow: she didn't know whether to laugh out of tenderness or brood out of concern.

* * *

In the living room, she finally had the opportunity to meet Yui; with great difficulty: if she had led an expedition to the North Pole, it certainly would have been more easier.

Ayato, in fact, had seemed rather hostile to the moment when they had shaken hands, the younger girl timidly and the other one warmly, slowly starting conversing animatedly and becoming more and more friends in a few minutes; annoyed, he snorted when half an hour later the two girls were still chatting pleasantly, sitting on a couch as he had stared at them carefully.

He got up, approaching and slamming his hands on the table, leaning his jealous face towards them who had jumped:

\- Oi, _Chichinashi_! Let's get out!

\- _But_ , Ayato-kun... - she said feebly, putting her hands on her chest and looking at him fearfully; Mary held out an arm in front of her to interrupt her and seriously addressed the vampire:

\- Ayato-kun, don't be so selfish, _please_.

\- _Huh_?! This woman is _mine_ , I decide what she can do or not! And right now I want her to leave with me...

The girl suddenly moved to a nightstand with a ceramic candlestick on it, embellished with silver motifs and gold spherical studs, followed by their questioning eyes; she shoved it and the object shattered into a thousand pieces on the floor.

\- What... - Ayato started to say, puzzled, as she returned to sit on the couch and turned white when she cried:

\- Reiiiji-saan, Ayato-kun broke _that_ candlestick! - she knew in fact that it was one of the many souvenirs that the Sakamaki brothers' father had spread around the mansion and which was strictly recommended not to damage, given its considerable value.

Mary took the blonde girl's hand and ran off with her before Ayato could realize her scam, still stunned by what had happened, but soon they heard him swearing a lot, then Reiji's voice reprimanding him with a tone that implied a long, fierce lecture.

\- _Hahaha_... _ha_ ... - leaning against a small shelf, Yui pressed her hands on her belly, trying to stop laughing; at the first opportunity, she turned to her saviour who was grinning at the thought of what the vampire was going through.

\- Mary-san, you're really great, just like Laito-kun said...! - she choked back another laugh, restoring her composure - I mean it: you're a _great and strong_ person... ever since I woke up, I felt the atmosphere in this house to have changed, albeit slightly, for the better... and I'm sure that this is all _because of you_!

Mary was silent, surprised by the those so beautiful and full of gratitude words and by the young girl's sincerity, who continued on talking, shifting her serene look on a vase of white roses, secretly gathered by Subaru in the early morning, and stroking them gently.

\- You are a _special_ person... loyal to your values, trusting in others' abilities, and especially empathetic; I think you understood each of these guys' personality and past better than me... and you had more determination and care to bring them back on the right path... _whereas I_...

Yui bent her head down, embittered. As she was also very attached to her own beliefs, she often had felt helpless and weak, only able to witness and _suffer_.

Mary kept on staring at her in silence, speechless, and she felt her eyes watering due to those words that had so suddenly raised her from the guilt she had brought with her like a lead ball in her pockets; the other one turned back to her and smiled:

\- I'd better go and stop those two... even if, in the end, _I will be the one that will have the worst outcome_... – she sadly darkened and left as if going to martyrdom, with staggering or unwillingly steps; the white-haired girl felt immense pity, then shrugged her shoulders and looked around.

She had seen the triplets, Reiji and had get to know the sweet Yui; she wondered where Subaru and Shuu could be and walked towards the room of the former.

Reached her destination, she knocked on the door: silence. This was something vaguely familiar; she repeated the gesture again and again no sound was heard by her ears but the rumble of the hits on the wood. The sense of _déjà vu_ intensified and she tried once again, calling the vampire.

\- _Subaruc_...

Two hands landed violently on the door, brushing the sides of her head stuck between those strong arms; a mouth came up to her ear, tickling it with his lips and causing her a shiver of panic.

\- _I'll rip your head off, if you dare call me that_ ; I think I have told you many times that _I don't to repeat_ myself - he added angrily, and after a few seconds of silence he slid his arms around the girl's waist, kissing her hair and then resting his head in the crook of her neck, while she turned around a little to face him, confused.

\- Subaru-kun? – she sensed his grip strengthening and he closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

\- Wel-Welcome back... – he muttered, turning away to hide the faint blush on his cheeks; Mary blinked then smiled sweetly, giving a slight pat with her hand on his, fixed on her abdomen.

It wasn't that long before her cheeks suddenly became crimson coloured, and her hair stood up on her head as she felt something wet slide down her neck; she flinched and turned away from him frantically.

\- _Subaru-kun_!? - she exclaimed in disbelief, with a hint of anger in her voice, as she rubbed her fingers against the skin where an embarrassing trail had been left.

\- _Tch_ \- the albino clicked his tongue, irritated, and put his hands on his hips - What is it now?! You are here as a blood supply, wh-

\- _Blood supply_! - she interrupted him - Exactly! You w-w-w-we-we-we-we-wer-wer-were...

She covered her face with her hands, wondering how she had managed to resist until then; oh, right: she hadn't been exhausted by one hell of a fight (very appropriate...) against a hunter, when she arrived in the villa at the beginning.

She winced as her waist was harshly grabbed and she hold his wrists trying to move him away from her; the vampire, even more frustrated, pushed her against the wall, supporting her with his arms and staring intently into her eyes.

\- _Let me do as I please-_ he rebuked, by blowing a few centimetres away from her face.

\- _Let me go_ \- she said, glaring at him with a reproachful and disapproving look.

Subaru groaned and crashed his lips on hers, surprising her and pressing her body with his against the cold wall, and deepened the kiss passionately; the girl didn't react immediately, protests suffocated by Subaru's passion though he was being very warm and affectionate towards her; she decided to quickly lift the knee between his legs. She would have apologized another time, but it was necessary to get him off her, even if she did like him as a friend.

The vampire broke away and backed away, pressing his hands on the delicate aching area, accompanying his reaction with pitiful moans of suffering (hats off, men, and have compassion, maidens...).

\- _SUBARU-KUN NO BAKA_! - Mary yelled while blushing and trembling with shame, and gave him a slap on the cheek and then ran away; however, she stopped after a few meters, to turn around and scream again:

\- And to think that I came to see you heartily! - and at last she left; Subaru muttered in exasperation, still red because of his emotions, collapsing to the floor on his back and brushing his lips almost as to keep that good feeling he had sensed with the contact.

\- _Kuso_... why does it always have to end like this... _ah_...

* * *

Mary was leaning on the library's window sill, gazing the garden; she had looked for an interesting title among those billions of books, but no one had been able to distract her from the embarrassment caused by that lively encounter with Subaru, to whom she mentally kept on asking forgiveness for not reciprocating his affection in the same way he showed her.

Meanwhile, as an innocent infatuated girl, she hoped with all her heart that Shuu would reach her at any moment, or, more likely, that she would meet him around the house while blissfully dozing on a couch (or on the floor, _why not?_ , it had already happened, or immersed with all his clothes in the bathtub; _that sloth_!).

She sighed and decided to go to the kitchen, where she could prepare and eat a more substantial meal to soothe still lingering her hunger; therefore she turned to the door, but stopped in time as soon as her eyes saw a well-familiar neck, mostly because of the choker with the small MP3 player attached to it.

She raised her head slowly, joyful and relieved, and met that ocean blue that bewitched her so much; her nostrils smelled the clean scent that intoxicated her so much and her lips curled in a tender smile towards Shuu, who was staring at her with his indifferent expression.

The vampire leaned over her and touched her mouth with his fingers, frowning and muttering that his little brother had spoiled that source of softness which he could never get enough of, and reached out to taste it; her fingers also rested, however, on his lips, stopping him and the young man frowned, annoyed.

\- Shuu-san - Mary whispered, hesitantly, her expression becoming uncertain and fearful; she took a deep breath and, with rosy cheeks, gave him a more unusual smile, _special_ \- _Daisuki_.

The blond opened his eyes briefly, before narrowing them and cupping her timid face gently in his hands, and gradually decreased the gap between them.

\- You're just food, _boring woman_... – he whispered; they both closed their eyes.

And the stars lightened that night's clear sky.

* * *

1 _Daijoubu?_ = "Are you okay?"

2 _Subaru-kun no baka!_ = "Subaru-kun, you idiot!"

3 _Kuso_ = Something like "sh*t!"

 **Aaaah, and this is the last chapter before the epilogue! I'm so happy that I'm finishing this... and I still have the second volume to translate, more than forty chapters that are longers than these... :°D**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you soon!**


	35. Chapter

_Chapter ∞_

\- _Ruki_ -kuuun, when will we make our entraaance?! - the blond complained curling his lips, rocking back and forth on the chair and pouting like a spoiled child. His brother shot him an annoyed glance as he closed the book he was reading and set it down on the table which they both sit at.

\- _Kou_ , stop rocking on that chair – he told him off with a glare; then he stretched his lips in an enigmatic smile - We'll have to wait a little; as soon as the summer break is over, we will take action... _Heh_ , I didn't think you liked going to school _so much_.

Kou raised an eyebrow, annoyed by that veiled irony, and stood up heading to the kitchen to munch on something; he would have never wanted to argue against him, _no sir!_ , it would have condemned him to an extremely painful sentence.

\- Vongole bianco, _vongole bianco_... – he murmured dreamily, looking for that so beloved dish that he had kept as an extra spare two evenings before: he didn't find it and wrath flooded in him making him redden and tremble with immense anger.

His little brother came into the kitchen while folding the bandages on his arm and stopped to look questioningly at him with those lavender eyes, lost in some kind of enchanted world (not necessarily in a good sense...).

\- Ah... Kou... what happened...? Are you _angry_...? Ah, _then you can beat me_...! If you want to take it out on me...

\- NO, _Azusa_ , I won't hit you... - the blonde rubbed his forehead near to a hysteric attack, instantly changing expression in a friendlier one- Azusa-kun! Come on, stop it! - he scolded him playfully, putting his hands on his hips.

\- Ah... _too bad_... - the other murmured, bowing his head in deep disappointment.

They sense their other brother's presence, probably back home at that moment and Kou flushed again with irritation; he gritted his teeth while saying their name and went into the living room where he had left alone Ruki, who was talking to the very person, asking him if he had discovered anything new related to his daily stroll of patrol, a task which had been entrusted to the giant.

To be clear, he had assigned him the job of overseeing the Sakamaki brothers' mansion, those six _dumb_ , _superficial_ and _retarded_ brothers.

\- _That woman_ is finally awake - the young man muttered, sitting on a chair in a slightly messy pose and Ruki nodded his head in a satisfied retort.

\- Good; as for now, we just have to make sure that everything goes as planned... If you, or we, notice any anomaly, then we'll have to act sooner than expected... we wouldn't want to ruin _his_ plans, right? - he said, staring at him with sharp eyes and that same smile still on his unreadable face. The other nodded in a huff, muttering that _that_ _man_ had too complex ideas.

\- _Yuuma_ \- Kou entered, glaring at him – you ate my vongole bianco, didn't you?!

\- _Haa_?! - the brother replied, growling - I didn't eat that _stupid_ vongole bianco of yours!

\- _Liar_! You wanted revenge for those sugar cubes of yours I ate a few days ago!

\- Don't say bulls... _WHAT_?! _YOU STOLE MY SUGAR-CHAN_? _YOU SON OF A_...

\- _Enough_.

Ruki's cold and authoritative voice had the desired effect: the two young men fell silent, as they kept on glowering at each other. Azusa watched them silently and calmly, leaning against the living room's wing door, waiting for a possible fight which he could have slipped in to earn himself some pain.

\- Kou, you can see for yourselves that he's not lying, and actually, I assure you: I threw away your vongole bianco, they went bad - the older brother revealed, getting up and approaching; the blond curled his lips sullenly, running a hand through his hair, and the brown-haired one shrugged offended, glancing away.

Ruki breathed a sigh of relief and ran his fingers on his raven hair; Azusa approached Yuuma.

\- Ne, Yuuma... Was there also _Eve_ , with _Izanami_?

He returned his gaze and nodded quietly, then turning towards the dark-haired brother.

Ruki looked at each one of his brothers and once again his enigmatic smile appeared on his lips. Kou chuckled, putting his arms behind his head; Yuuma grinned, cracking his knuckles; Azusa bit on his finger, sinking in his teeth and a drop of blood slipped and fell on the floor.

\- Adam and Eve's prophecy and Izanagi and Izanami's one will come true very soon... - Ruki said, crossing his arms; his thoughts lingered on that young human's figure and that dark-haired and dark-eyed girl's one; he would have never guessed that at that time all of the four brothers were focused especially on the latter.

 _Yui Komori and Mary Flyer... prepare yourselves._

* * *

Laito wandered to the most remote and least visited rooms of the mansion, sulking.

He couldn't really understand what his friend meant with those words; " _brighter eyes_ ": what did it mean?

He ventured outside, leaning against the ivy-covered balcony's railing, and looked up at the sky, watching those billions of flowers lighting up the night, playing a trick of lights and shadows with the trees' foliage in the garden and the intricate building which was Sakamaki family's home.

\- Mh... I don't understand. No, _I don't understand_ \- he murmured, pursing his lips and leaning his head on his arms, having bent his back; his emeralds reflected that quarter moon's whiteness and, as caught by a sudden thunder, he jumped, widening his eyes.

\- _Oooh_ , _but of course_ ~! – he exclaimed, euphoric, and giggled - _Fufu_ ~ That's where I've seen that so-bright whiteness!

The vampire put his hand on his cheek, contemplating the moon.

\- Micchan~ you're a moon! Smiling, radiant... Ah! I get it, I get it: _a sunny moon_! – satisfied, he tapped his hand with a fist, smiling at his effective comparison.

\- There's only me left... Micchan~, next time, be less enigmatic, _you sly fox_ \- he said to himself, returning inside and whistling as he approached a mirror.

He carefully examined himself: he took off his hat, placing it on a table and smoothed his clothes, tidied up his hair; he got closer to his face on the reflecting surface, touching it with his fingers, which had were as cold as it.

\- Mh... _bright eyes_... who knows... – he whispered, staring intently at his own irises.

 _Laito, Laito; you shouldn't have done it._

Suddenly he saw in his eyes all his past and jerked back, restlessly eyeing his image; he touched his face, body, hair, then lingered on his cheeks and his attention rested on his eyes again.

His expression became more and more upset, until he began to babble nonsense, shaking his head in the grip of a panic attack, caught by a sudden, _painful_ and _intense_ _anxiety_.

He collapsed to the ground with his knees and screamed; _he went insane_.

* * *

 **And this is it~ This is the first volume's end :D**

 **I know you want to kill me after reading Laito-kun's part... but it's necessary :D**

 **Thank you for reading until now and I hope you will read the next volume.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **See you soon~**


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